| Country | Belarus |
|---|
| Occupation | Composer |
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| Categories | Contemporary |
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Composer Sergei Albertovich Cortes is regarded to be one of the most famous Belarusian people of culture and art. He was born on the 18th of February 1935 in the Chilean town of San Antonio in a Russian immigrants’ family and spent his childhood and youth in Buenos Aires. In 1955 S.A.Cortes arrived to Minsk, where in 1962 he graduated from the Composition Division of Belarusian State Conservatoire (N.I.Aladov and A.V.Bogatyriov’s Class) and in 1969 he finished the assistantship – study under the guidance of professor N.I.Peiko.
S.A.Cortes used to work as a music editor of M.Gorky National Academic Drama Theater, Yanka Kupala National Academic Theater, “Belarusfilm” film studio. While being the head of the National Academic Grand Opera Theatre of the Republic of Belarus, S.A.Cortes managed to gain the recognition of the Belarusian opera in the international arena. Nowadays he works as a professor in Belarusian State Academy of Music and the chief of the Belarusian Division of the International Theatre Institute.
S.A.Cortes is the author of 5 operas: “Giordano Bruno” which was conferred the III Prize of the All-Soviet Union Opera Contest in Moscow in 1977, “Mother Courage”, “Lady's Visit” for which he was bestowed the title “Man of the year 1996”, “Anniversary” and “Bear” which were staged in the theatres of Belarus, Russia, Lithuania, Moldova, Switzerland.
His best musical compositions were created on the cross-over points of traditional and avant-garde techniques: a vocal and symphonic poem “Ash”, an oratorio-poem “In the Memory of Poet”, a ballet “The Last Inca”, a concerto for piano with the orchestra “Caprichos”, chamber grime musical compositions, incidental music to more than 60 dramatics and 20 cartoons, theatrical and documentary films.
S.A.Cortes is awarded the titles of Honored Man of Art of the Republic of Belarus, Laureate of the State Prize of the Republic of Belarus (for incidental music to the film “I’ll Take Your Pain”), People’s Artist of Belarus, and the Order of Honor pin.
