(b. May 1959, Lisbon).
Portuguese composer of mostly chamber, choral and vocal works that have been performed in Europe; he is also active as a conductor and musicologist.
Prof. Ferreira studied at Princeton University, where he earned his MFA and PhD with a thesis on Gregorian chant at Cluny.
As a conductor, he founded the chorus Vozes Alfonsinas in Lisbon in 1995 and has served as its conductor since 1995, with which he has recorded six CDs of music from the Middle Ages and Renaissance.
As a musicologist, he has written extensively on music from the Middle Ages, including the books The Sound of Martín Codax (1986), Cancioneiro da Biblioteca Publia Hortensia de Elvas (1989), Porto 714: Um Manuscrito precioso (2001), and Cantus coronatus (2005, Edition Reichenberger). He also edited and contributed to the book Dez Compositores portugueses (2007, Publicações Dom Quixote), about 20th-century music from Portugal.
He is also active in other positions. He has worked as a music critic, music journalist and organiser since 1978.
He has taught at the Universidade Nova in Lisbon, where he became professor associado in 2001 and professor catedrático in 2019.
COMPLETE LIST OF WORKS
CHAMBER MUSIC:
Duettino, flute/oboe/clarinet/violin, clarinet/viola, 1988
Saudade: In memoriam Duarte Lino Pimentel, recorder/flute/oboe, 1999
Prelúdio de Outono, recorder, 1999
String Song, violin, viola, cello, 2000–01
CHORAL:
De profundis, 2 male choruses, 1994, revised 2002–
Canção profana de Natal, mixed chorus, 1995–96
Três Cânticos baptismais, mixed chorus, 1991–97
The Mother of God, 4 mixed voices, 1998
Dois Hinos a Madre Teresa de Saldanha, female chorus, 1999
Faz de conta, children's chorus, 2000
Delirium, 6 mixed voices, 2000–01
Mini-Magnificat, soprano, alto, 2005
Canção simples de Reis (text by the composer), soprano/alto, tenor, bass, 2012
Cosmogonia de Natal (text by David Mourão-Ferreira), soprano/alto, tenor/bass, 2 basses, 2013
Kyrie breve, 4 mixed voices, 2014
Mini-Aleluia, 4 mixed voices, 2014 (also version for soprano/alto, 3 tenors/3 basses, 2014)
Certo tempo (political hymn, text by the composer), soprano/alto, tenor, bass, duplications at the octave ad libitum, 2015
Ladainha de Dezembro (text by the composer), soprano, bass, 2015
Festa se faça, soprano, alto, bass, 2016
Três Alumbramentos (text by Fiama Hasse Paes Brandão), 2016–17 (its three sections may be performed separately: Nome lírico, soprano, tenor, bass, 2017; A Rola, soprano/alto, tenor, bass, 2016; Madressilvas e tílias, soprano, tenor, bass, 2017)
Zebaoth (text by Else Lasker-Schüler), soprano/alto, tenor/bass, 2018
Quadra de Aleixo (text by António Aleixo), 2 sopranos/2 altos, 2 tenors/2 basses, 2018
Mar azul (text by Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen), 2 sopranos, alto, tenor, bass, 2018
Ai tiranos! (text from the Book of Micah, with variable names of current relevant politicians), speaker, 4 mixed voices, 2018
Prólogo – Interlúdio – Epílogo (text by the composer), 4 mixed voices, 2017–19 (its three sections may be performed separately: Prólogo, 2017; Epílogo, 2018; Interlúdio, 2019)
Sanctus, 4 mixed voices, 2019
3x2 Sonetos, 2 sopranos, 1998–
VOCAL:
Trois Chansons de Rilke (text by Rainer Maria Rilke), soprano, piano, 1989
Blues, mezzo-soprano, piano, 1994–95, revised 2002–
Plum, mezzo-soprano, piano, 1997–98, revised 2002–
Three Poems from 'A Woman Young and Old', soprano, piano, 1998–99, revised 2002–
Canto de sereia (vocalise), alto, flute, oboe/clarinet, harp, violin, viola, cello, 2006
Balada da Isabel (song, text by the composer), voice, accompaniment, 2011
Três Quadras (song, text by the composer), voice, accompaniment, 2012
Menina (song, text by the composer), voice, accompaniment, 2019
An Irish Airman, tenor, piano, 1998–
PIANO:
Timor Llorosa, 1999
Lamento à sexta, 2016
Nocturno, 2019
DIDACTIC MUSIC:
Le Gymnaste (cycle for beginners), piano, 2000–05
DISCOGRAPHY
Trois Chansons de Rilke. Ana Ferraz, soprano; Gabriela Canavilhas, piano (MoviePlay: 3-11050, 1997)