Alberto Grau

This Catalan-Venezuelan distinguished composer and conductor won a place of honor among the greatest Venezuelan contemporary musicians. Known for his career as a choral conductor, he has become one of the leading fi gures in choral composition in Latin America, and many of his works have been published. His books on choral conducting and composition, The making of a conductor and The making of the composer, are references for young conductors and musicians. In 1967 he founded the Schola Cantorum de Caracas and won fi rst prize in the Guido D’Arezzo International Competition in 1974 in Italy. Since then, he has been invited to many important conferences and festivals with his ensembles and as a guest conductor. More than thirty recordings provide evidence of his fine musicianship and extensive knowledge of international and Latin American choral repertoire. He is also the Founding Director of both the Orfeón Universitario Simón Bolívar and the Coral Ave Fenix, and he is a member of the Board of Directors of El Sistema (Foundation for Children and Youth Orchestras and Choirs of Venezuela). He is an adviser and resident composer in the Pequeños Cantores Program at the Schola Cantorum de Venezuela Foundation and at the CAF/Latinamerican Bank of Development Program of Social Action for Music.