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photo by Hugo Mantellato
Born in Bogota (Colombia), Felipe Nieto composes music that is rooted in a combination of lyricism and rhythmic complexity and intends to touch upon themes that range from political commentary to simple sound exploration. At the same time, he believes strongly in versatility and feels that his musical language is open to the exigencies of every piece he composes.
Felipe has received first price at the annual PubliqQuartet Composition Competition, first price at the Exit 128 Ensemble Composition Competition, Honorable Mentions at the Buffalo Chamber Players call for scores and the Boston Guitar Festival Composition Competition, and is a two times recipient of the Smadbeck prize for Music Composition at Ithaca College.
Recent engagements include his assignment as Assistant Artistic Director of “Las Americas en Concierto” (New York) and collaborations with “Brower Trio” (Spain), Vox n Plux (New York), and the Bogota Chamber Orchestra (Colombia). Felipe holds a bachelor degree in composition from Oklahoma City University where he studied with Edward Knight and a Masters of music from Ithaca College where he studied with Jorge Grossmann and Dana Wilson.
about Artesiana Sonora:
Artesania Sonora is a work conceived in the manner of an artisanal piece. The opening passages represent raw material from which all other elements of the piece emanate, through a process of constant transformation and growth. As in much artisanal work, form and content are earned and not exposed from the outset. I borrowed this idea from the aesthetic values I encountered in the artisanal work on gold in the indigenous cultures of South America, particularly that of the Colombian territory where I come from.
listen to Cantos Memoriales (2013) performed by the PUBLIQuartet