Reina, Rafael
Biography
Born: 1961
Country: Guinea (emigrate Spain 1968)
Studies: Berkeley College, Boston
Teachers: Mauricio Kagel, Johannes Fritsch, José Luis de Delas
Website: http://www.rafaelreina.org/
Rafael Reina was born in Equatorial Guinea, a former Spanish colony in West Africa in 1961, moving to Madrid at the age of seven. Since 2003, he has had dual Dutch/Spanish nationality. Senior teacher Amsterdam Conservatoire
Reina is a senior teacher at the Amsterdam Conservatoire with almost 20 years' teaching experience. After extensive studies in South India of the theory of Karnatic music with Jahnavi Jayaprakash and N.G. Ravi, Reina developed the successful programme 'Contemporary Music through Non-Western Techniques' and its introductory course 'Advanced Rhythm' at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. The programme, designed for both composers and performers, has over 200 students and is also a masters subject.
Reina has recently completed a PhD at the University of Brunel in London on the pedagogical and creative applications of Karnatic rhythmical structures to Western music.
With a background in both jazz and contemporary classical music and an extensive knowledge of many music cultures and their translation for western purposes, Reina has given Master classes at numerous higher music education centres around Europe and beyond, most recently at Cambridge University, Leeds College of Music and Birmingham Conservatoire, UK; ESMUC, Barcelona, Spain and Academy of Music, Tallinn, Estonia.
Reina has also gained recognition for numerous compositions for dance, opera, orchestra and ensemble. He graduated with ‘Summa cum Laude’ in composition from Berklee College of Music in Boston, USA in 1988. On returning to Spain he composed many pieces for dance, including a piece featuring Marco Berriel and Joaquin Cortes for the 1992 Expo in Seville. At an early age he received various composition awards, including the Best Original Score for Dance 94 in Madrid and the Special Critics Award at the Contemporary Composition Competition in Madrid for the piece Oficio de Tinieblas in 1989.
Reina has composed the music to three operas: HesseIndia (2007), part of the collective opera ‘1714 Mon de Guerres’ a co-production of Festival de Peralada and Barcelona Forum 2004 and Wölfli – a journey into chaos (2001).
His extensive oeuvre of ensemble pieces has been performed throughout Europe, the US, Taiwan and India. Some of Reina’s large oeuvre of music for percussion is available from Edition Svitzer and some of his pieces for recorder are available from Edition Tre Fontane.[1]
Works for Percussion
A Poet in New York - Percussion Quartet, Voice
Gotas de Duende - Multiple Percussion, Musette
Las paredes sufren de astigmatismo - Percussion Quartet
Mekazé conun enana por jartarme de reí - Multiple Percussion
Men(tally) Cloned - Percussion Duo, Electric Bass (Fretless)
The Alchemist's Wisdom - Multiple Percussion, Piano
References