Juan Manuel Abras Contel (in Swedish and Polish, Jan Emanuel Abras; born 1 February 1975) is a classical music composer, conductor, musicologist and historian from Sweden. Born in Stockholm to a European family (French,Both the Abras surname and the Contel surname can be traced back to the 16th century in France, according to the Archives départementales de la Haute-Loire (Naissances. AD43 3 Num 202/1 - 1579-1581, Le Puy-en-Velay) and the Fichier des paroissiens de Saint-Eustache (1530-1792, Paris), respectively. Italian, etc.) that moved around the world,Wilkinson, Malan. 'Juan Manuel [Abras].' Pianists From the Inside. United Kingdom: 02/22/2013 Abras became a cosmopolitan artist and scientist.
Background and education Juan Manuel Abras was born in Stockholm, Sweden, spent his childhood in Geneva, Paris and Madrid, his adolescence in Venice, Buenos Aires, and Bilbao, and his youth in Vienna and Kraków. His education, which includes two PhD doctorates and a dozen of academic degrees, was received in Austria, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and Argentina while living with his parents, his father being a diplomat (an ambassador) and journalist, his mother being a sociologist and piano teacher).03/10/2011: 'Me decepcionó no ver más óperas argentinas en el Bicentenario.' Diálogo con Juan Manuel Abras, uno de los compositores nacionales jóvenes más destacados de hoy.' (By Margarita Pollini). Ámbito Financiero (Argentina) As composer, Abras was a student of Krzysztof Penderecki, Kurt Schwertsik and Roberto García Morillo, he also studied with Karlheinz Stockhausen, Helmut Lachenmann, Wolfgang Rihm, Alexander Müllenbach, etc. and attended the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, the Mozarteum University Salzburg, the Academy of Music in Kraków, the IRCAM of Paris, the Conservatorio di Musica Benedetto Marcello di Venezia, etc., taking part in courses, workshops and completing graduate and postgraduate studies. As conductor, Abras was a student of Leopold Hager, Ervin Acél, Guillermo Scarabino, etc., he also studied with Michael Gielen, Dominique Fanal, etc., and attended the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, the 'Manuel de Falla' Superior Conservatory of Music of Buenos Aires, the Berlin State Opera, etc. taking part in courses, internships and completing graduate and postgraduate studies. As musicologist and historian, Abras pursued a PhD Doctorate in Musicology (Complutense University of Madrid and University of Valladolid, a PhD Doctorate in Music (Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina) a Master in Spanish Music (University of Salamanca and University of Valladolid), a Licenciate and a Bachelor in History (USAL - Buenos Aires, first cycle completed at the University of Deusto) and numerous seminaries and courses. As pianist, Abras began his studies with his mother, he continued them with Giovanni Umberto Battel, Luis Fernando Barandiarán, Ana Litovsky-Grünwald, Elizabeth Fiocca, etc. and attended the Conservatorio di Musica Benedetto Marcello di Venezia, the Municipal Superior Conservatory of Music of San Sebastián, the Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga Conservatory of Bilbao, the Carlos López Buchardo National Conservatory of Music (now Universidad Nacional de las Artes), etc., completing his studies while also studying violin, clarinet, harpsichord and organ.
Career and awards Music criticism in France has pointed out that Juan Manuel Abras is one of the European composers who "represent a good portion of the Europe of the new music" and, at the same time, music criticism in Buenos Aires has considered him "a genuine representative of Argentine music". In Germany, Genuin classics has highlighted "the breathless intensity of Juan Manuel Abras" and within the French musicological field it has been stated that "variety is also found in his musical language", a language that contains "a unity, by nature inaudible, which is realised each time through the different styles",Ibid. maintaining that in his works "there are, apart from the psychoanalysis [...] references to literature, religion, archaeology, etc.".Ibid. The Spanish academic field has gathered that Abras' music is "cosmopolitan and multifaceted, in search of a balance between emotion and reason, a dialogue between past and future, tending towards the Absolute" and that "it contains influences from the composers with whom he studied, such as Penderecki, Stockhausen, Lachenmann and Rihm, equally nourishing from concepts such as anamnesis, union of the opposites, numinosity, ekphrasis and intertextuality".Ibid. The inner unity in its deep structure manifests itself through varied surface structures and can use new technologies, contain references ranging from theology to biology and incorporate into classical music elements of folklore, as well as sounds produced by living beings".Ibid. For example, according to musical criticism in Finland, during the Finnish premiere of his musical composition The song of Anna O., Abras "took the listener to a world of rhythmically pulsating fantasy, similar to a haunted castle". And, according to Polish musical criticism, in his musical piece Chacarera beatboxera, "Abras united in a whole elements taken from ethnic music, ancient popular melodies and New Music, creating a dancing whirlwind somewhat trance-like, full of sunny joy and amusement". In the United States, when referring to Abras, the press pointed out the "mastery of the composer [...] also as a skillful orchestrator" and in the cultural sphere of Buenos Aires it has been stated that "his encyclopedic culture has allowed him to articulate a cosmopolitan horizon".
Juan Manuel Abras has created a hundred musical compositions (for symphony/chamber orchestra/ensemble and/or choir with/without soloists, stage, solo instrument, electroacoustic sounds, etc.) (see below), which have been performed at a dozen international festivals: Gaudeamus Muziekweek (Netherlands), Festival MANCA (France), Warsaw Autumn International Festival of Contemporary Music (Poland), Musiikin aika - Time of Music (Finland), Ördögkatlan Fesztivál (Hungary), Piano City Milano (Italy), Festival Internacional Discantus (Mexico), International Festival of Krakow Composers (Poland), Le Printemps des Poètes (France), Foro Internacional de Música Nueva Manuel Enríquez (Mexico), Festival Dni Bachowskie (Poland), Festival Instrumenta (Mexico), etc. Those works have been performed at a hundred venues throughout the world: International Mozarteum Foundation (Austria), Teatro Colón (Argentina), Bimhuis-Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ (Netherlands), Filharmonia Łódzka im. Artura Rubinsteina (Poland), Kunstquartier Bethanien Berlin (Germany), Théâtre Dunois in Paris (France), Columbia University (United States), Balassi Institute (Belgium), St James's Church, Piccadilly (United Kingdom), Longoria Palace (Spain), International Research and Information Centre 'Thracica' (Bulgary), Nádasdy Ferenc Múzeum (Hungary), Conservatorio Luisa D'Annunzio (Italy), York University (Canada), Palacio de Bellas Artes (Mexico), Summart Arts Center (Turkey), University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (Austria), Kirchner Cultural Centre (Argentina), Academy of Music in Krakow (Poland), Hellerau - Europäisches Zentrum der Künste Dresden (Germany), California State University (USA), Fundación Museo Jorge Oteiza (Spain), Associazione Cultura e Musica G. Curci (Italy), University of Ottawa (Canada), Museo Nacional de Arte (Mexico), Altes Rathaus Vienna (Austria), Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (Argentina), National Museum Kraków (Poland), Kulturrathaus Dresden (Germany), University of Missouri (United States), Conservatorio Superior de Música de Navarra (Spain), Universidad Autónoma Benito Juárez de Oaxaca (Mexico), Palais Pálffy (Austria), etc. His current discography (see below) features works included in 11 CDs published in Germany, France, United Kingdom, Austria, Poland and Argentina.
Throughout his career, Juan Manuel Abras has won numerous awards and scholarships: TRINAC Prize01/16/2018: 'Abras gana el Premio TRINAC por su concierto para piano y orquesta 'Telesiadas'.' Mundoclásico. Diario internacional de música clásica (España) 2017 (EIMC‐ISCM), TRINAC Mention 2014 (EIMC‐ISCM), Grafimuse Prize05/22/2011: 'Галерия 'Арте' показва творби на лауреатите от конкурса 'Графимуза.' Artnovini.com (Bulgaria) (Brussels, 2011), 2nd Wiener Filmmusikpreis09/16/2010: 'Wiener Filmmusikpreis 2010 vergeben – Kompositions-Workshops mit Badelt und Kolonovits.' Kulturia.com (Austria) (Vienna, 2010), Sibelius Chamber Orchestra Bicentenario Mention02/17/2011: 'Abras, galardonado en el Concurso 'Bicentenario." Mundoclasico.com. Diario internacional de música clásica (Spain) (Banfield, 2010), TRINAC Prize08/06/2008: 'Juan Manuel Abras recibe más premios y encargos.' Mundoclásico. Diario internacional de música clásica (Spain) 2008 (EIMC-ISCM), Fundacja Argentynska Scholarship07/02/2006: 'Estreno de una obra de Abras.' La Nación (Argentina) (Warsaw, 2006), Beca 'Directorio' del Fondo Nacional de las Artes (Buenos Aires, 2005), In Memoriam Erich Kleiber Scholarship05/05/2006: 'Beca Kleiber. Premian a la soprano Virginia Savastano. Actuará ante Barenboim.' La Nación (Argentina) (Berlin, 2004), Theodor Körner PrizeJuly–December 2003: 'Prizewinners. Theodor-Körner Prize.' Gaudeamus Information (Netherlands) (Vienna, 2003), 2nd Franz Josef Reinl-Stiftung Prize06/25/2002: 'Se estrena en Viena la 'Suite Argentina' de Juan Manuel Abras.' Mundoclásico. Diario internacional de música clásica (Spain) (Vienna, 2002), TRINAC 2002 and TRIMARG 2002 MentionsSeptember–October 2002: Ratier, Claudio. 'Juan Manuel Abras: Reconocido en el país y en el Exterior.' Cantabile. Revista de Música Clásica, año 4, n.º 15 (Argentina) (both EIMC-ISCM-CAMU-IMC-UNESCO), CSMMF Gold Medal Award both in musical composition and orchestral conducting (Buenos Aires, 2000), etc.
Professional and teaching positions