Bertrand Chavarria-Aldrete (Lyon, 1978) is an artist with various working methods all originating in sound: performance, composition, poetry, theatre, plastic, and visual arts.
As an interpreter he has premiered more than 90 works as a soloist and in chamber music, recorded on several occasions for the radio and labels, playing at the most important halls and festivals in Europe and America. Between 2006 and 2016, in Spain, he co-founded and directed SMASH ensemble, focussed on the creation and promotion of contemporary music.
As of 2015, his work has extended to include the plastic arts developing a new type of interpretation, an intervention in music performance: “Plastic Extension of Music”. Exhibiting and taking part at artistic residences in Spain, France, Germany and Portugal, his visual work ranges from photography to painting, from sculpture to documentaries.
As a composer, he works on a diversity of outputs; he earned 2nd prize at the “7th International Competition Quatuor Molinari” for his string quartet “douleur exquise." In theatre, he created “La nef des fous”, a tableau vivant with music and actors, and composed several improvisational and performative works for performers with special needs, including, most recently, “de(cor)o”. In 2021 was awarded the Winfried Böhler Kulturstiftung-Netzwerk Neue Musik Baden-Württemberg e.V. “ad libitum” competition in Germany for the composition of “Sc(herz)o infinito”, a new tableau vivant of Pieter Brueghel’s “Children’s Games”.
Since 2020 works on a series of solo compositions of experimental poetry inspired on the troubadour tradition.
He studied in Mexico, France, Netherlands and Portugal. Currently lives between Paris and Malmö while working on his PhD, “Plastic Extension of Music,” at Lund University, Sweden.
Bertrand Chavarria-Aldrete studied in Mexico (Gregorio Rangel, Edgar Cortés, Andrés Licéaga, Pedro Salcedo, Martín Madrigal), France (ENM d’Aulnay-sous-bois - Judicaël Perroy, Raymond Gratien, Than Hanh Nguyen, Patrick Gallois, José Luis Campana, Octavio López) Netherlands (Koninklijk Conservatorium - Zoran Dukic) and Portugal (Faculdade de Belas Artes of Universidade do Porto - Fernando José Pereira, Pedro Tudela, Carlos Lima).
:: Short Bio ::
Bertrand Chavarría-Aldrete (Lyon, 1978) is an artist with various working methods all originating in sound: performance, composition, poetry, theatre, plastic, and visual arts.
:: Guitar performer - premiered more than 90 works and performed in Europe and Mexico ; several recordings including 3 solo albums.
:: Composer - 2nd prize at the “7th International Competition Quatuor Molinari” ; composer of works for theatre performance and for performers with special needs. Recently awarded the Winfried Böhler Kulturstiftung-Netzwerk Neue Musik Baden-Württemberg e.V. “ad libitum”, and writer of experimental poetry.
:: Plastic Artist - Research on “Plastic Extension of Music,” at Lund University, Sweden, working with dance, visually and hearing impaired.
:: From 2006 to 2016, was founder and artistic director of SMASH ensemble in Spain.
Studied in Mexico, France, the Netherlands, and Portugal and lives between Paris and Malmö.