Paulo C. Chagas

Paulo C. Chagas (born in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil) is a composer and sound artist of international reputation whose music is based upon a pluralistic aesthetics embracing elements of European and Brazilian traditions. Chagas studied composition at the University of São Paulo, Brazil, Royal Music Conservatory of Liège, Belgium, and electronic music at the Cologne Music Academy, Germany. He has a Ph.D. in Musicology from the University of Liège, Belgium (2003). From 1980 to 2004 he lived in Belgium and Germany. From 1990 to 1999 he was Sound Director of the Electronic Music Studio of the WDR Radio Cologne. Since 2004 he has been Professor of Composition in the Music Department of the University of California at Riverside, where he currently lives. Chagas has composed over 100 pieces – ballet music, operas, multimedia works, pieces for orchestra, chamber music, electronic and computer music. His works have been played by the Liège Philharmonic Orchestra, the American Composers Orchestra, the Opera Bonn, the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra, and commissioned for several prestigious international festivals, such as Ars Musica, MusikTriennale, Moscow Autumn, Musica Nova among others. Chagas has received many awards for his works. Chagas is also a theoretician and researcher in musicals semiotics and music technology. He writes in many languages (English, German, Portuguese and French) and publishes in international journals and books. His texts reflect on different issues such as musical semiotics, philosophy and phenomenology of music, electroacoustic music and digital media. Statement My music searches for new forms of expression by establishing relationships to many musical traditions, both classical and popular. My compositions make extensive use of technology and emphasize the symbolic, ritualistic dimension of the musical performance. The creative manipulation of digital sound and the integration of music into multimedia and interdisciplinary forms mark my works profoundly. I believe that we are at the beginning of a major shift in the way we create and experience music and art. New fields of creativity are emerging through the convergence of sound, image, and body and the development of new architectures of collaboration.