Neal Peres Da Costa (born 1964) is an Australian
harpsichord
A harpsichord ( it, clavicembalo; french: clavecin; german: Cembalo; es, clavecín; pt, cravo; nl, klavecimbel; pl, klawesyn) is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. This activates a row of levers that turn a trigger mechanism ...
ist,
fortepianist
A fortepiano , sometimes referred to as a pianoforte, is an early piano. In principle, the word "fortepiano" can designate any piano dating from the invention of the instrument by Bartolomeo Cristofori in 1698 up to the early 19th century. Mo ...
and
organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists. In addition, an organist may accompany congregational ...
. He specialises in performance on historical keyboard instruments of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, for which he has gained international renown. He is a Professor and the Chair of the Early Music Unit at the
Sydney Conservatorium of Music
The Sydney Conservatorium of Music (formerly the New South Wales State Conservatorium of Music and known by the moniker "The Con") is a heritage-listed music school in Macquarie Street, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the old ...
at the University of Sydney.
Neal Peres Da Costa was born in
Bahrain
Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and a ...
, then part of the
Trucial States
The Trucial States ( '), also known as the Trucial Coast ( '), the Trucial Sheikhdoms ( '), Trucial Arabia or Trucial Oman, was the name the British government gave to a group of tribal confederations in southeastern Arabia whose leaders had ...
, to parents from
Goa, India. His family moved to Australia when he was five years old. After graduating from the
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...
, Peres Da Costa attained a Postgraduate Diploma in Early Music from the
Guildhall School of Music
The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a conservatoire and drama school located in the City of London, United Kingdom. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and ja ...
and a Master in Music Performance from the
City University London
City, University of London, is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, and a member institution of the federal University of London. It was founded in 1894 as the Northampton Institute, and became a university when The City Univ ...
. In 2002, he attained a PhD from the
University of Leeds
, mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased
, established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds
, ...
, where he researched performing practices in late 19th-century piano playing with particular reference to early recordings.
He spent ten years as Professor of Fortepiano at the
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke of ...
in London, where he was also a Lecturer in Performance Practice. He also held the post of Lecturer in 19th-Century Performing Practice for the master's degree at
Trinity College of Music
Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance is a music and dance conservatoire based in London, England. It was formed in 2005 as a merger of two older institutions – Trinity College of Music and Laban Dance Centre. The conservatoire has ...
in London. In 2000 Peres Da Costa was Artist in Residence at Bretton Hall College at the University of Leeds. For many years he has been Professor on the annual International Summer Course in Spain held by the Fundacio 'la Caixa' and is currently a chamber music teacher at the annual International Early Music Course in
Urbino
Urbino ( ; ; Romagnol: ''Urbìn'') is a walled city in the Marche region of Italy, south-west of Pesaro, a World Heritage Site notable for a remarkable historical legacy of independent Renaissance culture, especially under the patronage of ...
in Italy. He has also taught on the Early Music Summer Course in Southern Bohemia.
He was the co-founder of
Florilegium
In medieval Latin, a ' (plural ') was a compilation of excerpts or sententia from other writings and is an offshoot of the commonplacing tradition. The word is from the Latin ''flos'' (flower) and '' legere'' (to gather): literally a gathering of ...
, an internationally renowned period instrument ensemble with which he performed around the world, including France, Spain, Germany, the
Netherlands
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, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
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, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
,
North
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography.
Etymology
T ...
and South America, China and Australia, and in major venues such as the
Concertgebouw
The Royal Concertgebouw ( nl, Koninklijk Concertgebouw, ) is a concert hall in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The Dutch term "concertgebouw" translates into English as "concert building". Its superb acoustics place it among the finest concert halls i ...
in Amsterdam, the
Teatro Colón
The Teatro Colón (Spanish: ''Columbus Theatre'') is the main opera house in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is considered one of the ten best opera houses in the world by National Geographic. According to a survey carried out by the acousti ...
in Buenos Aires and the
Wigmore Hall
Wigmore Hall is a concert hall located at 36 Wigmore Street, London. Originally called Bechstein Hall, it specialises in performances of chamber music, early music, vocal music and song recitals. It is widely regarded as one of the world's leadin ...
in London, at which Florilegium held a prestigious residency for several years. Together they have made many award-winning recordings.
Neal Peres Da Costa has performed with the
Academy of Ancient Music
The Academy of Ancient Music (AAM) is a British period-instrument orchestra based in Cambridge, England. Founded by harpsichordist Christopher Hogwood in 1973, it was named after an 18th-century organisation of the same name (originally the A ...
, the
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (OAE) is a British period instrument orchestra. The OAE is a resident orchestra of the Southbank Centre, London, associate orchestra at Glyndebourne Festival Opera Artistic Associate at Kings Place, and h ...
, the
Australian Chamber Orchestra
The Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO) was founded by cellist John Painter in 1975.Verghis, Sharon"Bach with more bite pays off" ''Sydney Morning Herald'', 2 September 2005. Richard Tognetti was appointed Lead Violin in 1989 and subsequently appo ...
, the
Sydney Symphony Orchestra
The Sydney Symphony Orchestra (SSO) is an Australian symphony orchestra that was initially formed in 1908. Since its opening in 1973, the Sydney Opera House has been its home concert hall. Simone Young is the orchestra's chief conductor and firs ...
,
Sinfonia Australis
Sinfonia Australis is an Australian early music ensemble founded by Antony Walker and Alison Johnston. They play on period instruments. They were founded alongside vocal ensemble Cantillation and the Orchestra of the Antipodes. Along with Gerard ...
, the
Orchestra of the Antipodes,
Pinchgut Opera
Pinchgut Opera is a chamber opera company in Sydney, Australia, presenting opera from the 17th and 18th centuries performed on period instruments. Founded in 2002, Pinchgut stages two operas each year in Sydney's City Recital Hall. It also perfor ...
, the
Australian Brandenburg Orchestra
The Australian Brandenburg Orchestra (ABO) is an Australian period instrument orchestra specialising in the performance of baroque and classical music.
Founders
The orchestra's founder and artistic director is Paul Dyer.
In 2013 Dyer was a ...
, the Australian Bach Ensemble, the Sydney Philharmonia, and the Song Company; and with artists such as Dame
Emma Kirkby
Dame Carolyn Emma Kirkby, (; born 26 February 1949) is an English soprano and early music specialist. She has sung on over 100 recordings.
Education and early career
Kirkby was educated at Hanford School, Sherborne School for Girls in Dors ...
,
Nancy Argenta
Nancy Argenta is a Canadian soprano singer, best known for performing music from the pre-classical era. She has won international acclaim, and is considered one of the leading Handel sopranos of her time.
Life
She was born in Nelson, British Col ...
,
James Bowman,
Derek Lee Ragin
Derek Lee Ragin (born June 17, 1958) is an American countertenor. _Biography.html" ;"title="Derek Lee Ragin > Biography">Derek Lee Ragin > Biographyallmusic
Early life
Derek Ragin was born in West Point, New York and grew up in Newark, New Jerse ...
,
Michael Chance
Michael Chance CBE (born in Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom 7 March 1955) is an English countertenor and the founder and Artistic Director of The Grange Festival.
Chance was born in Penn, Buckinghamshire, into a musical family. After growing u ...
, and
Pieter Wispelwey
Pieter Wispelwey (born 25 September 1962) is a Dutch cellist. In 1992, he was the first cellist to receive the Netherlands Music Prize, a government-awarded prize given to the most promising young musician in the Netherlands. He has come to ...
. He is a member of the Australian period-instrument ensemble Ironwood.
In 2007, he was awarded the University of Sydney's Alumni Award for Community Service for his contribution to music as a performer and educator, both within the University of Sydney and in the community at large.
He is principal continuo player on the
ABC Classics
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
recording of Bach Arias with
Sara Macliver
Sara Macliver is an Australian soprano singer, born and raised in Perth, Western Australia. Macliver is a versatile artist, appearing in operas, concert and recital performances and on numerous recordings. She is regarded as one of the leading ...
and
Sally-Anne Russell. He has made several recordings on the ABC Classics label including the Bach Sonatas for Viola da Gamba and Harpsichord with
Daniel Yeadon, and the Bach Sonatas for Violin and Harpsichord with
Richard Tognetti
Richard Leo Tognetti AO (born 4 August 1965) is a leading Australian musician recognised internationally as a violin soloist, ensemble player, leader, composer and arranger, conductor and artistic director.
He is currently artistic dire ...
and Daniel Yeadon, which won the 2008
ARIA
In music, an aria (Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompanime ...
fine arts award for Best Classical Album.
Peres Da Costa has given papers at the Royal Musical Association Conference in 2000, the Conference of 19th-Century Music at Leeds University in 2002 and the Symposium of 19th-Century Music during the
Utrecht
Utrecht ( , , ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city and a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, pro ...
Early Music Festival in 2002. He regularly presents pre-concert lectures for
Musica Viva Australia
Musica Viva was founded in 1945 by Romanian-born violinist Richard Goldner, with the aim of bringing chamber music to Australia. The co-founder was a German-born musicologist, Walter Dullo. At its inception, Musica Viva was a string ensemble perf ...
. He co-authored the entry for
Performance Practice
Historically informed performance (also referred to as period performance, authentic performance, or HIP) is an approach to the performance of classical music, which aims to be faithful to the approach, manner and style of the musical era in whic ...
in the
Oxford Companion to Music
''The Oxford Companion to Music'' is a music reference book in the Book series, series of Oxford Companions produced by the Oxford University Press. It was originally conceived and written by Percy Scholes and published in 1938. Since then, it ...
.
[Latham, Alison, ed. ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' (Oxford 2002): 941.]
Peres Da Costa's first monograph "Off The Record: Performing Practices in Romantic Piano Playing" (Oxford, New York: 2012) examines the performing practices of late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century pianists captured on acoustic and electrical recordings and reproducing piano rolls and compares these with contemporaneous written texts. The monograph is accompanied by a Companion website with sound extracts and musical examples.
Peres Da Costa donates much of his spare time to students through his involvement in mentoring and by providing master classes for high school students and emerging artists.
Personal life
Peres Da Costa and cellist Daniel Yeadon have been together since 1990.
They were married in a civil partnership ceremony in the United Kingdom in 2007.
Discography
Albums
Awards
ARIA Music Awards
The
ARIA Music Awards
The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...
is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of
Australian music
The music of Australia has an extensive history made of music societies. Indigenous Australian music forms a significant part of the unique heritage of a 40,000- to 60,000-year history which produced the iconic didgeridoo. Contemporary fusions of ...
. They commenced in 1987.
!
, -
,
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
, ''Bach Sonatas for Violin & Keyboard'' (with
Richard Tognetti
Richard Leo Tognetti AO (born 4 August 1965) is a leading Australian musician recognised internationally as a violin soloist, ensemble player, leader, composer and arranger, conductor and artistic director.
He is currently artistic dire ...
&
Daniel Yeadon)
,
Best Classical Album
The Grammy Award for Best Classical Album was awarded from 1962 to 2011. The award had several minor name changes:
*From 1962 to 1963, 1965 to 1972 and 1974 to 1976 the award was known as Album of the Year – Classical
*In 1964 and 1977 it wa ...
,
,
[ARIA Award previous winners. ]
, -
References
External links
University of Sydney – Musicology staff
University of Sydney Alumni Award for Outstanding Achievement in Community Service – 2007Chroma Vocal Ensemble
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peres Da Costa, Neal
Alumni of the University of Leeds
ARIA Award winners
Australian classical organists
Male classical organists
Australian fortepianists
Australian harpsichordists
Australian LGBT musicians
Australian performers of early music
1964 births
Living people
LGBT classical musicians
21st-century classical pianists
21st-century organists
21st-century Australian male musicians
21st-century Australian musicians