Composer Marcos Balter was born in 1974 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Regarded by critics as "colorful, inventive (...) with vibrant sonics (New Music Connoisseur, May 2005), his works have been performed and broadcasted in North and South America, Europe, and Asia in venues such as the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, Teatro Colon, Sala Villa-Lobos, Seiji Osawa Hall, Paul Hall, DePaul Concert Hall, Pick Steiger Concert Hall, Slee Hall, and Pepsico Theater. Past awards and honors include the Leonard Bernstein Fellowship at the 2005 Tanglewood Music Center, a Pre-Doctoral Fellowship from Lawrence University (2005-2007), performances at the MusicX, June in Buffalo, Panorama da Musica Contemporânea, and Bounding Board festivals, first prizes at the 2007 William Karlins Composition Competition, the 2004 Douglas T. Faricy Composition Competition, the 2002 Jonathan Durington Composition Competition, the 1997 Nordan Young Artists Competition, and being a regional winner and national finalist at the 2005 ASCAP/SCI Composition Competition.
His music has been performed by ensembles and soloists such as the International Contemporary Ensemble, Ensemble SurPlus, Brave New Works, The New Fromm Players, Duo Diorama, and violist Nadia Sirota, among others.
His primary composition teachers were Augusta Read Thomas, Amy Williams, and Jay Alan Yim. He has also taken lessons in festivals and master classes in Europe and North America with John Adams, Louis Andriessen, George Benjamin, Pierre Boulez, Martin Bresnick, Bright Cheng, Michael Gandolfi, Betsy Jolas, Oliver Knussen, Christian Lauba, Steve Mackey, Tristan Murail, Bernard Rands, Wolfgang Rihm, Frederic Rzewski, Kaija Saariaho, and Chen Yi, and others.
He currently divides his time between his home in Chicago, Illinois and in Pennsylvania where he is a Visiting Professor of Composition at the University of Pittsburgh.
For more information and audio samples, please visit www.marcosbalter.com .
MARCOS! hey sweetie. . .how's you?? my friend is organizing a bash and her theme is 'the inbetween'. it made me think of you and your awesome music. miss you!!
Yo Marcos!! That was so much fun to hear your piece 7 times!! I hope you're going to load it up on your myspace!! Thanks for your mail. Hope to hang soon (when?!)
olá! obrigado pelos comentários. achei muito bonitas suas músicas disponíveis em sua página. (pois é, sciarrino é bacana mesmo, e lachenmann, e etc) mantenha contato! felicidades!
Dear Marcos, thank you for your fine and sensible chamber music, like RE und Ut. I think Tristan Murail is an rare namend composer. Sympathic to find him here, at your page. Thanks for your adding... Best Regards from Hamburg / Germany
Marcos, the meridian arts ensemble played my brass quintet last friday and it was a great experience. Sidney Boquiren and Joanne Metcalf were there which was totally flattering. Hope you're well, and I'm glad you liked the Ellington piece. Take it easy!
ciao Marcos thanks for finding I'm listening to your music and I like it a lot we definitly have a similar taste for sounds! why don't you post your list of works? ciao from Italy
Mr. Marcos Balter! what's up with you man? Tough break that the samba boys U20 lost to the US team. But hey, it's ok. What have you been doing with your days lately? Geoff
Marcos-- Thanks so much for being at my recital.. it meant A LOT!!! If I dont see you around, have a GREAT summer and keep me posted. I still want a CD of your music when you get a chance.
