Drumming Grupo de Percussão HISTORY OF THE BAND Drumming Grupo de Percussão was founded in 1999, the result of an academic experiment started a few years previously which arose with the creation of the first course in percussion at the Espinho Professional Music School and the first advanced course in percussion in Portugal at the Oporto Superior School of Music and Scenic Arts (ESMAE). Under the direction of Miquel Bernat, an internationally renowned percussionist, the group, initially made up of students and teachers, has given hundreds of performances in the most prestigious concert halls and shows in Portugal and the most important festivals and auditoria in Europe. Drumming GP has performed world premiers of works by Spanish composers such as Agustín Charles, César Camarero, David del Puerto, Eduardo Soutullo Javier Árias, Jesus Rueda, José Manuel López López, Manuel Rodeiro and Polo Vallejo, as well as by the Latin American composers Javier Álvarez (Mexico), Roberto Sierra (Puerto Rico), Daniel Almada (Argentina), Arrigo Barnabé, Marlos Nobre and Ney Rossauro (Brazil). Above all, this is due to the strong connections that that the group's Artistic Director has with many composers in his homeland and with important individuals and groups on the European and Latin American music scene. Drumming GP is the foreign band which has given most commissions to Spanish composers, as well as the group which has done the most to spread this music throughout Portugal. Drumming GP has been consolidating its position as one of the most innovative percussion projects today, both in Portugal and the whole of Europe. The group's objective is to diversify its artistic projects, which they execute to the highest technical and artistic standards, collaborating with composers and creators, soloists, producers and numerous cultural bodies. BIOGRAPHY OF THE CONDUCTOR Miquel BernatMiquel Bernat is one of the most dynamic figures on the international music scene, making a strong contribution to promoting and raising awareness of percussion as an artistic medium. A conductor, teacher, composer and performer, he has tackled an incredibly diverse range of genres such as folk, classical, experimental, electronic and pop, interacting with various artistic fields.He studied in Valencia, Madrid, Brussels, Rotterdam, and at the Aspen Summer Course (USA). He received the End of Degree Prize in Madrid, First Prize and Honorable Mention in Brussels, "Special Prix" at the Gaudeamus Contest in Holland, and Second Prize at the Aspen Nakamichi Competition. He has performed with the Barcelona City Orchestra and the Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. He is a member of the Rotterdam "Duo Contemporain" and the founder of the Brussels Ictus Ensemble. He has worked with the choreographer A. T. de Keersmaeker's Rosas Company on countless shows. He performs as a soloist all over the world, including performances with the ORTVE, Orquesta Sinfónica de Murcia, Remix Ensemble, Ictus Ensemble, Plural Ensemble, Projecto Guerrero, Grup Instrumental, MusikFabrik, Borusan Orchestra Estambul, Cyprus Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta de la Comunidad de Madrid, Orquesta de Cadaqués, and Orquestra Nacional do Porto. He premiered the Percussion Concerts of David del Puerto, César Camarero, Luis de Pablo, Mauricio Sotelo and Joan Guinjoan. He premiered "Mantis Walk in a Metal Space" by Javier Alvarez in the IRCAM/Centre George Pompidou; this was the first international concert for Steel Drums. He has taught in the Superior Conservatories of Rotterdam and Brussels. He is currently working in Portugal, creating Advanced Percussion courses at ESMAE, Oporto, the University of Aveiro and ESMuC in Barcelona. He has been invited to teach at the Darmstadt International Summer Course, the "Sistema de Orquestas de Venezuela" (FESNOJIV), the Oaxaca Instrumenta, and the Brasilia CIVEBRA, among others. He founded Drumming-GP, one of the most critically acclaimed and dynamic percussion groups on the music scene. He is passionate about contemporary art and a strong advocate for the promotion of percussion as an art form. |
