The music that Sebastian Androne (Romania, 1989) brought (...) touched the jury, performers and audience. (...) Androne uses a highly communicative musical language, showing sophistication in both horizontal (melodic) and vertical (harmonic) lines.
Sebastian Androne-Nakanishi (b. 1989) is a multi award-winning composer who writes both contemporary concert music and soundtracks for theater or film.
He studied music composition in Romania, Great Britain and France, his music being performed all around Europe and beyond by established ensembles and orchestras. He finished his PhD in 2018 at the National University of Music from Bucharest, having Dan Dediu as his doctoral adviser and long time mentor.
Obtaining two Erasmus scholarships, he studied composition with Stefano Gervasoni during his doctoral studies at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse and with Joe Cutler, Howard Skempton and Ed Bennett during his Masters at the Birmingham Conservatoire.
Convinced of the idea that there is always room for improvement, Sebastian Androne-Nakanishi attended in numerous masterclasses lead by important composers such as Mark-Anthony Turnage, Isabel Mundry, Agustín Fernández, Brian Ferneyhough, Richard Ayres, Christopher Fox, Mario Garuti, Laurence Crane, Hanna Kulenty, Errollyn Wallen, Gavin Bryars, Thierry Huillet, Cornel Taranu, Michael Hersch, Gabriel Iranyi, Jörg Widmann, Peter Ruzicka, Adrian Pop, Bernard Cavanna, Miklós Maros, Zygmunt Krauze, Hubert Stuppner, Philip Cashian and Aurel Stroe. (detailed info here)
Sebastian Androne is a highly gifted Romanian composer (...) who combines a highly vivid musical imagination with outstanding technical realisation. His music has a huge personality and energy. He creates striking musical structures that communicate clearly and powerfully.
Joe Cutler, head of the composition department at the Birmingham Conservatoire
Formal Studies
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2014-2018
PhD in music composition at the National University of Music from Bucharest (NUMB). Doctoral adviser: Dan Dediu. Finished with Magna cum Laude. -
2016
Erasmus Scholarship at Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP). Composition Professor: Stefano Gervasoni. -
2012-2014
Master's Degree in Composition at the NUMB. Composition Professors: Dan Dediu, Mihaela Vosganian. Finished as Valedictorian. -
2013
Erasmus Scholarship at the Birmingham Conservatoire. Composition Professors: Joe Cutler, Howard Skempton and Ed Bennett. -
2008-2012
Bachelor's Degree in Composition at the NUMB. Composition Professors: Dan Dediu, Mihaela Vosganian, Dan Voiculescu, Nicolae Coman, Bogdan Voda, Cristian Lolea and Mihai Murariu. Finished as Valedictorian.
Personal Creed
I believe that music requires passion, honesty and a fervent desire to interweave bonds between all of us and all of things, both synchronically and diachronically.
My journey is one of self-discovery, the one in which you search for your purest (artistic) volition, for facets of your truth, for better and better ways of expressing yourself (compositionally) and of finding the most accurate means of conveying the „within”.
It’s not a journey of originality, but of authenticity. It’s not a search for aural novelty, but for the most candid, eloquent and meaningful musical manifestation. Thus the self-discovery can become self-creation.
Sebastian Androne-Nakanishi
Achievements
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2018 - Selected among the five finalists (out of 304 composers without age restriction) at the International Film Music Competition from Zurich. More details here.
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2017 - Masterclass with composer Mark-Anthony Turnage, in Brasov, „Vibrate Festival”
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2016 - Accepted at the „Phillipe Manoury” Composition Academy from Strasbourg
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2014 - Winner of an attendance scholarship at the Creativity Summer Camp from Sinaia, Romania
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2014 - Selected by the National University of Music from Bucharest to represent Romania at the Kyoto Music Festival from Japan
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2014 - Finalist in the Young Composer Meeting from Apeldoorn, the Netherlands, alongside other 15 composers around the world
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2013 - Masterclasses and conferences at the Birmingham Conservatoire, October December 2013 with: Richard Ayres (Holland), Christopher Fox (Great Britain), Mario Garuti (Italy), Laurence Crane (Great Britain), Hanna Kulenty (Poland), Errollyn Wallen (Great Britain), Gavin Bryars (Great Britain)
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2013 - Winner of the Composer in residence program, organized by the Icon Arts summer academy
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2013 - George Enescu International Composition Workshop Bucharest with: Thierry Huillet (France), Cornel Taranu (Romania), Michael Hersch (USA), Gabriel Iranyi (Germany), Dan Dediu (Romania), Joerg Widmann (Germany), Peter Ruzicka (Germany), Adrian Pop (Romania)
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2012-2013 - International courses Music-Us Summer Camp Eforie, section: film music composition with composer Dan Dediu
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2012 - Selected to participate in the Roche Continents workshop, organized by Roche during the Salzburg Festival. Each year 100 eminent students are selected from all around Europe (75 scientists and 25 artists).
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2011-2013 - Three times winner of the Young Talents program sponsored by the Princess Margareta of Romania Foundation
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2011 - George Enescu International Composition Workshop - Bucharest, with composers Bernard Cavanna (France), Miklós Maros (Sweden/Hungary), Zygmunt Krauze (Poland), Hubert Stuppner (Italy)
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2011 - ICon Arts International Courses of Contemporary Art Cisnadie, section: composition and musicology with: Dan Dediu (Romanian composer), Fred Popovici (Romanian composer) and Joe Cutler (British composer); Gabriel Banciu (Romanian musicologist) and edition 2012, section: composition and musicology with: Doina Rotaru (Romanian composer) , Philip Cashian (British composer); Valentina Sandu-Dediu (Romanian musicologist), Ioana Pârvulescu (literary critic)
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2007 - composition courses with Aurel Stroe, Busteni, Romania
Awards
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2020 - 1st Prize at the International Choral Composition Competition from Japan
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2019 - 2nd Prize at the Choral Creation Competition for young composers (2-4 equal voices) VOX MUNDI, 3rd edition, Timisoara.
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2018- Winner of the International Film Music Competition from Zurich and the GOLDEN EYE trophy, out of 304 composers, from 44 countries, without age restriction. More details here.
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2018- 1st Prize (ex aequo) at the National Competition „Majura” with the piece Vis Vitreg, for soprano and piano.
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2018- 1st Prize at the National Competition „Majura” with the piece Effectul Papilio, for 4 hands piano.
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2018- 1st Prize at the National Competition „Romania 100” with the piece Communio Aurea - The Golden Joinery for orchestra and choir.
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2017 - Winner of the festival-competition „Listening to China” from Shanghai
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2017 - 2nd Prize at the Choral Creation Competition for young composers (2-4 equal voices) „VOX MUNDI”, 1st edition, Timisoara with Decum s-a ivit lumina
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2016 - 1st Prize at the International Composition Competition for Choral Works „Liviu Borlan" from Baia Mare with Jertfa
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2016 - Winner of the Special Prize given by the Union of Composers and Musicologists from Romania at the International Composition Competition for Choral Works „Liviu Borlan" from Baia Mare with Dragostele Tinerele
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2016 - Winner of the Union of Composers and Musicologists from Romania Prize for the Large Choral Works Section with Fearful Darkness
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2015 - 2016 - Winner of the Tenso Young Composers Workshop Award, held in Mechelen (Belgium) and Marseille (France), with Fearful Darkness and Lucent Relics, both for 12 mixed voices
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2014 - Grand Prix, symphonic section, of the George Enescu Composition Competition, with TEKTONUM, for orchestra and synthesizer
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2014 - Winner of the Creativity Prize offered by ARCUB-UNATC, from Bucharest, Romania
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2013 - Winner of the composition competition during the International Summer Academy with Pinte, a solo clarinet piece
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2012 - 2nd prize at the National Composition Competition „Mihail Jora” with The Cricket, a quartet for two clarinets, violin and cello
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2011 - Runner-up at the International Composition Competition Left Coast Ensemble from USA with Mechanorganisms, a trio for clarinet/bass clarinet, viola and piano/harpsichord
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2011 - Nominalized for the Grand Prometheus Prizes from Romania
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2011 - The prize for compositional activity and creation by the Musical Actuality magazine
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2011 - 1st prize at the National Composition Competition „Mihail Jora” with Philotic Entanglement, a string quartet
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2010 - Winner of the ICon Arts International Composition Competition with Un Sufletrup, a duo for flute and percussion
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2010 - 1st prize at the „Stefan Niculescu” National Competition with Effectus Papilio, a for hands piano piece
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2009 - 1st prize at the „Paul Constantinescu” National Competition with V3rsoConTre, a duo for violin and piano
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2009 - 3rd prize at the International Competition From Romanticism to Contemporary with The Fundamental Forces of Our Universe, a solo piano suite