About Me
For more than a decade the works of American composer Roberto Sierra have been part of the repertoire of many of the leading orchestras, ensembles and festivals in the USA and Europe. At the inaugural concert of the 2002 world renowned Proms in London, his Fandangos was performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra in a concert that was broadcast by both the BBC Radio and Television throughout the UK and Europe. Sierra's numerous commissions include works for many of the major American and European orchestras. International ensembles that have performed his works include the orchestras of Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, New Mexico, Houston, Minnesota, Dallas, Detroit, San Antonio and Phoenix, as well as by the American Composers Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the Tonhalle Orchestra of Zurich, the Spanish orchestras of Madrid, Galicia, Castilla y León and Barcelona, among others.
Commissioned works include: Concerto for Orchestra for the centennial celebrations of the Philadelphia Orchestra commissioned by the Koussevitzky Music Foundation and the Philadelphia Orchestra; Concerto for Saxophones and Orchestra commissioned by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra for James Carter; Fandangos and Missa Latina commissioned by the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington DC; Sinfonía No. 3 "La Salsa", commissioned by the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra; Danzas Concertantes for guitar and orchestra commissioned by the Orquesta de Castilla y León; Double Concerto for violin and viola co-commissioned by the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia Orchestras; Bongo+ commissioned by the Juilliard School in celebration of the 100th anniversary; Songs from the Diaspora commissioned by Music Accord for Heidi Grant Murphy, Kevin Murphy and the St. Lawrence String Quartet; and Concierto de Cámara co-commissioned by the the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Chamber Music Northwest and Stanford Lively Arts.
In 2003 he was awarded the Academy Award in Music by the American Academy of Arts and Letters. The award states: "Roberto Sierra writes brilliant music, mixing fresh and personal melodic lines with sparkling harmonies and striking rhythms. . ." His Sinfonía No. 1, a work commissioned by the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, won the 2004 Kenneth Davenport Competition for Orchestral Works. In 2007 the Serge and Olga Koussevitzky International Recording Award (KIRA) was awarded to the Albany Records for the recording of his composition Sinfonía No. 3 “La Salsa”. Roberto Sierra has served as Composer-In-Residence with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, The Philadelphia Orchestra, The Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra and New Mexico Symphony.
Roberto Sierra's Music may be heard on CD's by Naxos, EMI, New World Records, Albany Records, Koch, New Albion, Koss Classics, BMG, Fleur de Son and other labels. In the spring of 2004 EMI Classics released his two guitar concertos Folias and Concierto Barroco with Manuel Barrueco as soloist (released by Koch in the USA on 2005). Roberto Sierra was born in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, and studied composition both in Puerto Rico and Europe, where one his teachers was György Ligeti at the Hochschule für Musik in Hamburg, Germany. The works of Roberto Sierra are published principally by Subito Music Publishing (ASCAP).
Selected Performances
Click here for a list of past performances
Sinfonía No. 4
August 5, 2010
Summer Music Festival 2010
Festival Orchestra, Indiana University
Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor
Trio No. 3 “Romántico”
August 12, 2010
Trio Arbós
Festival de Santander
Spain
Cancionero Sefardí
September 12, 19 & 26, 2010
Argento Chamber Ensemble
Austrian Cultural Forum, NY
Fandangos & Alegría
September 24, 2010
Manhattan School of Music Wind Ensemble
H. Robert Reynolds, Conductor
Sonata for violin and piano
October 2, 2010
Renee Jolles, violin
Joel Sachs, piano
Continuum Concert at Cornell (Barnes Hall)
Songs from the Diaspora
October 5, 2010
Holly Bewlay, soprano, Susan Schuman , piano & the Clara String Quartet
Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall
Buffalo State University of New York
Recordando una melodía olvidada &
Turner
October 5, 2010
Lontano Ensemble, Odaline de la Martinez
conductor
London Festival of American Music
The Wharehouse, London
Eros
October 6, 2010
Rowland Sutherland flute and Mary Dullea, piano
London Festival of American Music
The Wharehouse, London
Sinfonía No. 4
October 14, 15 & 16, 2010
Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra
Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor
Sinfonía No. 3 “La Salsa”
October 24, 2010
Laredo Philharmonic Orchestra
Brendan Townsend, conductor
Preludios Caprichosos
November 11, 2010
Ian Hobson, piano
DiCapo Opera Theater, NY
Sinfonía No. 3 “La Salsa”
November 13, 2010
Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra
Guillermo Figueroa, conductor
Sinfonía No. 4
January 27, 28 & 30
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Juanjo Mena, conductor
Sinfonía No. 4
January 28 & 29, 2011
Kansas City Symphony
Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor
Sonata para guitarra
March 11, 2011
Manuel Barrueco
Casals Festival, Puerto Rico
Fandangos
March 25 & 26, 2011
Syracuse Symphony Orchestra
JoAnn Falletta, conductor
Suite de canciones y danzas
March 26, 2011
Zuill Bailey, cello
Piers Lane, piano
Chamber Music Society of Detroit
Los destellos de la resonancia
April 1, 2011
Duo Gerassimez
Musikfestspiele Sanssouci
und Nikolaisaal Potsdam
Germany
Folias
April 2 & 3, 2011
Jason Vieux, guitar
Orquesta Filarmónica de la Cuidad de México, Sala Silvestre Revueltas
Danzas Concertantes
April 7 & 8, 2011
Orquesta del Principado de Asturias
Manuel Barrueco, guitar
Nacho de Paz, conductor
Tercera crónica del descubrimiento
June 5, 2011
Duo Stromeaux
Treetops Studio
Stamford, Connecticut
Fandangos
June 5, 2011
Westerville Symphony at Otterbein College
Peter Stafford Wilson, Conductor
Missa Latina
June 11 & 12, 2011
Victoria Bach Festival
Heidi Grant Murphy, soprano
Nathaniel Webster, baritone
Craig Hella Johnson, conductor
Austin, Texas