Pedro João Agostinho Figueiredo Santander Rodrigues

?A rising star of the classical guitar?-20th Century Guitar Magazine (USA)?Rodrigues' transcription manages to retain the heroicism and ceremony this music radiates. From the superb French-style Ouverture (in which Pedro Rodrigues shows his remarkable dexterity in the Grave and adroit use of staccato to bring out the "voices" in the three-part fugue which follows) through to the final movement, the Gigue which provide a wonderfully exciting climax, the player retains the sense of majesty this work requires.?-Classical Guitar Magazine (UK)?One should highlight the spectacular musicians Monika Streitová (flute) and Pedro Rodrigues (guitar) that showed how the contemporary music scene has superb musicians in Portugal.?-Jornal Público (Portugal) "In both cases, Rodrigues? skilful transcription very evocatively transported us into the Baroque sound-world, preserving the public grandeur of Händel as well as the private meditative style of Bach. The ability to do justice to multiple melodic lines occurring simultaneously in the bass and upper registers is quite a feat even on a keyboard instrument, but Rodrigues was able to masterfully convey this complex contrapuntal texture on the guitar. It underscored why he is so highly respected in the music world for his transcriptions."-The Navhind Times (India)"Pour la soirée d'ouverture, le guitariste portugais Pedro Rodrigues faisait découvrir à l'assistance une partie de sa vaste palette avec, entre autres, d'excellents arrangements de son cru; cela dans des domaines aussi différents qu'une imposante suite de Haendel ou que les colorées Quatro peças de son compatriote António Pinho Vargas, l'ensemble étant donné donné avec une sonorité pleine et une justesse de ton jamais prise en défaut."-Guitare Classique (France)Winner of Artist's International Auditions (New York), Sor Competition (Rome), Young Musicians Award (Lisbon) and prizewinner at Paris, Verona, Valencia, Montelimar, Sernancelhe among other competitions, Pedro Rodrigues started his musical studies at the age of 5 and the study of classical guitar at 9 with José Mesquita Lopes with whom he completed his course of study with highest honors and as recipient of the Gulbenkian Scholarship.Later, he continued his studies with Alberto Ponce at the École Normale de Musique de Paris, receiving the Diplome Supérieur de Concertiste de Musique de Chambre and also the Diplome Supérieur de Concertiste de Guitare with top honors: "à l'unanimité avec felicitations du jury" and he has also taken masterclasses with Leo Brouwer, David Russell, Joaquin Clerch and Darko Petrinjiak.He received his Ph.D. from Aveiro University in 2011, under the guidance of Paulo Vaz de Carvalho and Alberto Ponce as recipient of the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia Scholarship.Pedro Rodrigues performed either as soloist, chamber music ensembles or orchestras in Europe, North and South America, Asia and Africa in prestigious halls like Carnegie's Weill Hall - New York, Salle Cortot - Paris, Ateneo - Madrid, National Concert Hall - Taipei, Sala Raúl Juliá-San Juan, Endler Hall - Cape Town, Centro Cultural de Belém - Lisbon, Gulbenkian Foundation - Lisbon, Casa da Música - Oporto and made recordings for RTP, RDP, RTM, SABC, WIPR, Cesky Rozhlas Broadcasting Companies and for NUMÉRICA, JNS Music, Portugaler and Nuova Venezia recording labels. He was a soloist with Gulbenkian Orchestra, Beiras Philharmonic, Algarve Orchestra among others.He is frequently invited to teach master classes in Universities in Europe, North and South America, Africa and Asia.His transcriptions are published under Mel Bay Publications and Notação XXI.Pedro Rodrigues premiered works (solo, chamber and concerti for guitar and orchestra) from composers such as A. Rodriguez-Ortiz, A. Bartetzki, A. S. Dias, Daniel Mendes, E. Zoudilikine, G. Bertissolo, I. Soveral, J. Reis, J. Pavão, J. L. Ferreira, J. Mesquita Lopes, M. Davi, M. Rataj.

Descrito pela 20th Century Guitar Magazine (USA) como ?A rising star of the classical guitar? e pela Classical Guitar Magazine (UK) como ?Rodrigues' transcription manages to retain the heroicism and cerimony this music radiates. From the superb French-style Ouverture (in which Pedro Rodrigues shows his remarkable dexterity in the Grave and adroit use of staccato to bring out the "voices" in the three-part fugue which follows) through to the final movement, the Gigue which provide a wonderfully exciting climax, the player retains the sense of majesty this work requires? O jornal Navhind Times (India) escreveu "In both cases, Rodrigues? skilful transcription very evocatively transported us into the Baroque sound-world, preserving the public grandeur of Händel as well as the private meditative style of Bach. The ability to do justice to multiple melodic lines occurring simultaneously in the bass and upper registers is quite a feat even on a keyboard instrument, but Rodrigues was able to masterfully convey this complex contrapuntal texture on the guitar. It underscored why he is so highly respected in the music world for his transcriptions." A Revista Guitare Classique (França) escreveu: "Pour la soirée d'ouverture, le guitariste portugais Pedro Rodrigues faisait découvrir à l'assistance une partie de sa vaste palette avec, entre autres, d'excellents arrangements de son cru; cela dans des domaines aussi différents qu'une imposante suite de Haendel ou que les colorées Quatro peças de son compatriote António Pinho Vargas, l'ensemble étant donné donné avec une sonorité pleine et une justesse de ton jamais prise en défaut."Vencedor do Artist?s International Auditions (Nova Iorque), Concorso Sor (Roma), Prémio Jovens Músicos e premiado nos concursos de Salieri-Zinetti, Paris, Montélimar, Valencia, Sernancelhe entre outros, Pedro Rodrigues iniciou o seu percurso musical aos 5 anos de idade, tendo estudado com José Mesquita Lopes na Escola de Música do Orfeão de Leiria onde terminou os estudos com a classificação máxima. Participou em masterclasses com David Russell, Leo Brouwer, Joaquin Clerch e Darko Petrinjiak. Posteriormente estuda com Alberto Ponce na École Normale de Musique de Paris onde recebe os Diplomas Superiores de Concertista em Música de Câmara e Guitarra, este último com a classificação máxima, unanimidade e felicitações do júri. Sob a orientação de Paulo Vaz de Carvalho e Alberto Ponce concluiu em 2011 o Doutoramento na Universidade de Aveiro como bolseiro da Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia. Apresentou-se a solo em salas reconhecidas internacionalmente como o Carnegie Hall de Nova Iorque, a Salle Cortot de Paris, National Concert Hall de Taipei, Ateneo de Madrid, Endler Hall de Cape Town, India International Centre de New Delhi, Sala Raúl Juliá de San Juan, Centro Cultural de Belém, Casa da Música, o Grande Auditório da Fundação Gulbenkian e os festivais de Mikulov, Paris, Santo Tirso, Música Viva, Sernancelhe, Caruso Festival, Miguel Llobet, Forfest Kromeriz, Vital Medeiros entre outros. Fez gravações para RTP, RDP, RTM, SABC, Cesky Rozhlas, WIPR e gravou discos com as editoras Numérica, Nuova Venezia, Portugaler, Slovartmusic e JNS Music e foi solista com a Orquestra Gulbenkian, Filarmonia das Beiras, Orquestra do Algarve entre outras. Colaborou com a Orchestrutópica, Grupo de Música Contemporânea de Lisboa, Grupo Música Nova e Miso Music Portugal. É igualmente convidado com regularidade para leccionar masterclasses em conservatórios e universidades na Europa, América do Norte e Sul, África e Ásia. As suas transcrições estão editadas pela Mel Bay Publications e Notação XXI. Foi professor na Escola de Música do Conservatório Nacional de Lisboa, Escola de Música do Porto e presentemente é Professor Auxiliar Convidado no Departamento de Comunicação e Arte da Universidade de Aveiro.