20th WASBE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS, GWANGJU – SOUTH KOREA
Performed by WYWO (WASBE Youth Wind Orchestra)
Conducted by Ms Beatriz Fernandez
Recorded & Donated by Mark Custom
Purchase at http://www.markcustom.com/
[#280] December 02, 2024
WASBE2024 | 2015 | Wind Ensemble | Grade 4 | 5' - 10' | Tone poem
Cleopatra, by Spanish composer, educator and horn player Amparo Edo Biol is our Composition of the Week.
Cleopatra is a composition for wind ensemble inspired by the figure and hegemony of Cleopatra. Combines Mediterranean scales with passionate melodies and sophisticated counterpoint.
“Cleopatra was composed at the initiative and suggestion of conductor Beatriz Fernández Aucejo to premiere it at the presentation concert of the recently created Women's Symphonic Band of the Federation of Musical Societies of the Valencian Community. Given the occasion and the objective of giving visibility to women in music, Beatriz thought it would be appropriate to premiere a work composed by a current Valencian composer. The work did not receive any official commission, but I loved the proposal, I accepted it with great enthusiasm, and I decided to write it inspired by the figure of Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, for being one of the leaders and universally recognized references.”
Program Notes by Amparo Edo
The premiere performance took place on March 8, 2015, at the “Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía” by the Women's Symphonic Band of the Federation of Musical Societies of the Valencian Community, conducted by Beatriz Fernández Aucejo.
Cleopatra has a duration of ca.10 minutes, and it is scored for
2 flutes, piccolo, 2 oboes, English horn, 2 bassoons
3 Bb clarinets, Eb clarinet, bass clarinet
2 alto sax, 2 tenor sax, baritone sax
4 horns, 3 Bb trumpets, flugelhorn, 3 trombones, bass trombone, euphonium, tuba
timpani, 5 percussionists, harp (opt.), violoncellos (opt.), double basses (opt.)
The music is available at Canyamel Music
This recording has been donated by Mark Custom. To purchase the entire performance of the Philharmonic Wind Orchestra, please visit http://www.markcustom.com/
Amparo’s musical journey began with the captivating call of the French horn, an instrument she embraced with unstoppable dedication. Amongst her numerous performances and recordings, Amparo is the horn player in the Grammy-nominated album Providencia (2010) by Danilo Pérez.
Beyond her passion for the horn, Amparo has blossomed as a contemporary concert and media composer, weaving threads of melody, harmony, and emotion into a flow of musical stories. Her compositions are a fusion of diverse influences, building a distinctive voice that reflects on both familiar and unexplored elements.
Amparo has won composition competitions including the International Women Brass Conference Prize (Foundations, IWBC, 2019), Women and Culture Award (Génesis, Diputación de Málaga, 2013), and Salvador Seguí International Composition Competition (Juego de niños, SIMC Montserrat, 2007). Her song Un café per a emportar earned a nomination to the Hollywood Music in Media Awards (HMMA, 2015). She has been commissioned to write music for renowned artists and ensembles including Spanish Brass (Barandat, 2022 and Sambori, 2017), Metal·lògic Ensemble (Brass Therapy, 2015), and Orfeó Universitari de València (Lux aeterna, 2022), and for various competitions, festivals, and organizations, including the Iturbi International Piano Festival (Anchor’s Flight, 2019), the Valencian Federation of Music Societies (Snapan, 2018), the Spanish Tuba and Euphonium Association (Foundations, AETyB, 2016), the Valencia State Wind Ensemble Competition (Flor de Mayo, 2016), and the Spanish Cerebral Palsy Association (Niño Duende, 2006).
In her numerous collaborations as an orchestrator and arranger for albums, media projects, and symphonic productions, Amparo brings together melodies, rhythms, and harmonies from contemporary classical and contemporary popular styles. Amongst many projects, Amparo is the arranger in the album and tour Vagamundo (2014-2018) by renowned Spanish singer-songwriter Santiago Auserón, and the orchestrator of feature films like Miracle in Cell No. 7 (2019), Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles (2018), Hunter’s Prayer (2017), Kidnap (2017), or Misconduct (2016). She has directed professional ensembles, including Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León in the show Back to the Future (2016), with orchestra and live electronic set.
Amparo holds master’s degrees in business administration (MBA), and in Education, Technology, and Innovation (MEd), and bachelor’s degrees in Film Scoring (BM), French Horn Performance (BM and PDM), and Composition. In 2009 she was awarded a full-ride scholarship to pursue her degree at Berklee College of Music by the Spanish Association of Composers and Publishers (SGAE). Her recent research focuses on gamification techniques in early instrumental music practice. She has been a jury member for numerous competitions and a composer panelist at several music conferences. Amparo currently chairs the Contemporary Writing and Production Department at Berklee College of Music.
Amparo’s musical journey began with the captivating call of the French horn, an instrument she embraced with unstoppable dedication. Amongst her numerous performances and recordings, Amparo is the horn player in the Grammy-nominated album Providencia (2010) by Danilo Pérez.
Beyond her passion for the horn, Amparo has blossomed as a contemporary concert and media composer, weaving threads of melody, harmony, and emotion into a flow of musical stories. Her compositions are a fusion of diverse influences, building a distinctive voice that reflects on both familiar and unexplored elements.
Amparo has won composition competitions including the International Women Brass Conference Prize (Foundations, IWBC, 2019), Women and Culture Award (Génesis, Diputación de Málaga, 2013), and Salvador Seguí International Composition Competition (Juego de niños, SIMC Montserrat, 2007). Her song Un café per a emportar earned a nomination to the Hollywood Music in Media Awards (HMMA, 2015). She has been commissioned to write music for renowned artists and ensembles including Spanish Brass (Barandat, 2022 and Sambori, 2017), Metal·lògic Ensemble (Brass Therapy, 2015), and Orfeó Universitari de València (Lux aeterna, 2022), and for various competitions, festivals, and organizations, including the Iturbi International Piano Festival (Anchor’s Flight, 2019), the Valencian Federation of Music Societies (Snapan, 2018), the Spanish Tuba and Euphonium Association (Foundations, AETyB, 2016), the Valencia State Wind Ensemble Competition (Flor de Mayo, 2016), and the Spanish Cerebral Palsy Association (Niño Duende, 2006).
In her numerous collaborations as an orchestrator and arranger for albums, media projects, and symphonic productions, Amparo brings together melodies, rhythms, and harmonies from contemporary classical and contemporary popular styles. Amongst many projects, Amparo is the arranger in the album and tour Vagamundo (2014-2018) by renowned Spanish singer-songwriter Santiago Auserón, and the orchestrator of feature films like Miracle in Cell No. 7 (2019), Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles (2018), Hunter’s Prayer (2017), Kidnap (2017), or Misconduct (2016). She has directed professional ensembles, including Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León in the show Back to the Future (2016), with orchestra and live electronic set.
Amparo holds master’s degrees in business administration (MBA), and in Education, Technology, and Innovation (MEd), and bachelor’s degrees in film Scoring (BM), French Horn Performance (BM and PDM), and Composition. In 2009 she was awarded a full-ride scholarship to pursue her degree at Berklee College of Music by the Spanish Association of Composers and Publishers (SGAE). Her recent research focuses on gamification techniques in early instrumental music practice. She has been a jury member for numerous competitions and a composer panelist at several music conferences. Amparo currently chairs the Contemporary Writing and Production Department at Berklee College of Music.
Other works for winds:
· Stachel (2006), pasodoble for wind ensemble, 5’
· Foundations (2016) for tuba and wind ensemble, 14’
· Brass Theraphy, for horn, trombone and tuba, 5’50
· Flor de Mayo (2016), for wind ensemble, 20’
· Sambori (2017) for brass quintet and wind ensemble, 10’30
· Aragón Brass (2017), for brass ensemble, 4’
· Snapan (2018) for wind ensemble, 4’30
· Barandat (2022), for brass quintet, 8’
· An unusual goose (2023) for horn and brass ensemble, 11’
More on Amparo Edo