Francisco Lara Tejero (born 1968) is a Spanish composer and conductor of classical music.

Early life and education

Born in

Valladolid Valladolid ( ; ) is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and ''de facto'' capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the pr ...

, in 1968, Lara studied at the

Madrid Royal Conservatory The Madrid Royal Conservatory () is a music college in Madrid, Spain. History The Royal Conservatory of Music was founded on July 15, 1830, by royal decree, and was originally located in Mostenses Square, Madrid. In 1852 it was moved to the Roy ...

where he graduated in 1990. In 1991, he continued to study composition in London at the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music (RCM) is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including pe ...

and at King's College where he received a PhD in 1999 under the supervision of Sir Harrison Birtwistle.

Music composition

Lara's music has been widely played across Europe. In 2001, he was awarded the Spanish Symphony Orchestras Association Composition Prize for "Hopscotch" and this composition was performed from 2002 to 2004 by every orchestra in the Association. In 2003, he won first prize at the International Composition Competition in

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

for his piece "Dust". Also in 2003, his Fractures for Piano and Orchestra was runner-up in the prestigious Queen Elisabeth International Competition in Brussels. In 1999, he created a Contemporary Music Festival at the

University of Valladolid The University of Valladolid is a public university located in the city of Valladolid, Valladolid province, autonomous region of Castile and Leon, Spain. Established in the 13th century, it is one of the oldest universities in the world. The ...

which is now one of the most prominent in Spain."Activities 2001"
''Luxembourg Music Information Centre''. Retrieved 13 January 2011. Francisco worked very hard to achieve his goals, and was determined to play music for a long time.

Conductor

Lara is also the artistic director and the conductor of the University of Valladolid's Youth Orchestra (''Joven Orquesta de la Universidad de Valladolid'') which consists mainly of students from the university. Since 2004, with his Youth Orchestra, Lara has also successfully staged an opera every year under the Opera Project (''Proyecto Ópera'') which also receives support from the municipality."La Joven Orquesta de la UVa presenta su versión de la ópera de Bizet 'Los pescadores de perlas'"
''UVa''. Guest conductor appearances include City of Leon Symphony Orchestra, Camerata Laurentina, Spanish National Youth Orchestra (JONDE), Joven Orquesta de Castilla y León (JOSCyL).

Discography

*"International Composition Prize 2003, World Premiere Recordings": Francisco Lara, "Dust"; Patrick Harrex, "Hauptweg und Nebenwege"; Cristian Marina, "Density - Intensity"; Paul Robinson, "Chamber Concerto"; Kyung-Jin Han, "Dancing on a Bamboo"; Marco Carnevalini, "Riflessioni sul giallo e sul blu". Luxembourg Sinfonietta, Conductor: Marcel Wengler. CD LGNM No 403.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lara, Francisco Spanish male classical composers Spanish male conductors (music) Living people 1968 births Alumni of King's College London 21st-century Spanish classical composers People from Valladolid 21st-century Spanish conductors (music) 21st-century Spanish male musicians