School of Music
Mario Falcao

Mario Falcao

Harp

Mario.Falcao@fredonia.edu

Mason Hall 1144
716-673-4629phone
716-673-3154 fax

Bio:

Mario Falcao, born and educated in Lisbon, Portugal, did his basic music studies at the Lisbon Conservatory. During his studies he was awarded several study grants from the Gulbenkian Foudation in Lisbon the Cultural ministery of Portugal and the Fulbright foudation that allowed him to study in Holland and finally in the USA at the Eastmann School of Music from where he graduated with a Masters Degree in Harp and was awarded a Performer's Certificate.

A prize winner at the 5^th International Harp Contest in Jerusalem, Israel he subsequently has been a judge in International Competitions in the USA, Great-Britain, France, Japan and Russia. Active in Harp Associations, he was Chairman of the Board of Directors of the American Harp Society and was a founding member of the World Harp Congress of which he his a current member of Board of Directors. He has an extensive career has a performer of solo recitals, orchestra soloist and chamber music specially dedicated to the exploration and expansion of the modern repertoire. His involvement with new music shows in his collaborations with the Creative Associates of Buffalo in the 60's, 70's and 80's and more recently is a frequent guest to the Festival of New Music June in Buffalo. He often participates in the Encontros de Musica Contemporanea in Lisbon as well as in Festivals in Orleans, France and Madrid, Spain. In this capacity he has commissioned several solo harp pieces, played them in first performance and recorded them on LPs and CDs. Has had close collaboration with American, Portuguese and Spanish composers.

As a solo recitalist he has played solo recitals in among other cities:  New York City (Carnegie Recital Hall), London (Wigmore Hall), Boston, Washington, Rochester, Nashville, Tampa, Paris, Lisbon, Toronto, Madrid, (Fukui and Soka) Japan, Beijing, Shangai, Taipei, Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia, Johannesburg, Cape Town. As a soloist with orchestra he has played with the Gulbenkian of Lisbon, Lisbon Philarmonic, Rochester Philarmonic, Nashville Philarmonic, Prague Radio Orchestra, Tivoli Gardens Orchestra, Arhus Sinfonietta, Ensemble Yokohama,  National Symphony of South Africa and Cape Town Philarmonic. He frequently conducts Master Classes in North America, Europe, Asia and South America, and has recorded several LPs as well as CDs.

Presently he is Professor Emeritus of Harp at State University of New York at Fredonia and visiting professor at the Escola Superior de Musica of Lisbon, Portugal.