Ana Alcaide (born 1976,

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), an ...

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) is a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: ** Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Ca ...

performer, composer and music producer who carries out research on ancient traditions and cultures.

Biography

At the age of seven Alcaide took up classical violin. She studied at the Getafe Conservatory of Music (Madrid) and later at

Lund University , motto = Ad utrumque , mottoeng = Prepared for both , established = , type = Public research university , budget = SEK 9 billion Complutense University The Complutense University of Madrid ( es, Universidad Complutense de Madrid; UCM, links=no, ''Universidad de Madrid'', ''Universidad Central de Madrid''; la, Universitas Complutensis Matritensis, links=no) is a public research university lo ...

in Madrid. After being awarded a biology scholarship in 2000, Alcaide travelled to Sweden where she was first exposed to the

Nyckelharpa A nyckelharpa (, "keyed fiddle", or literally "key harp", plural ) is the national musical instrument of Sweden. It is a string instrument or chordophone. Its keys are attached to tangents which, when a key is depressed, serve as frets to chan ...

, a traditional Swedish instrument that dates from medieval times. Attracted by the complexity and depth of its sound, Alcaide taught herself how to play the nyckelharpa on the streets of

Toledo, Spain Toledo ( , ) is a city and municipality of Spain, capital of the province of Toledo and the ''de jure'' seat of the government and parliament of the autonomous community of Castilla–La Mancha. Toledo was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESC ...

. In 2005 she returned to Sweden to further pursue her music studies and to specialize in this Swedish folk instrument. During this time she was also influenced by other musical traditions and began studying other instruments and voice. She graduated from

Malmö Academy of Music Malmö Academy of Music (Swedish: Musikhögskolan i Malmö) is a Swedish public collage dedicated to education and research within the fields of music and music pedagogy. The school is located in Malmö in southern Sweden and belongs to the Facul ...

(Bachelor in Performing Arts) after successfully completing a personalized program in which she focused on world music, combining her interest in traditional music with the study of more modern techniques. Alcaide published her debut album ''Viola de Teclas'' ("Keyed Viola", an alternative name for the nyckelharpa in Spanish) in 2006. She has played a pioneering role in introducing and popularizing the nyckelharpa in Spain. Her second album, ''Como la luna y el sol'', was the result of the final degree project she completed while at the Malmö Academy of Music. This album features interpretations of traditional Sephardic music. In late 2009 she compiled her first three years of work on the DVD ''Ana Alcaide en concierto'', which was filmed in a historic Jewish synagogue (‘El Tránsito’ – Toledo, Spain) alongside her usual collaborators. In 2012, after taking time off to have her first child, Alcaide released her third album, ''La cantiga del fuego''.

Discography

*''Viola de teclas'' (2006) *''Como la Luna y el Sol'' (2007) *'' La Cantiga del Fuego'' (2012) *'' Tales Of Pangea'' (2015) *''Leyenda'' (2016) *''Ritual'' (2022)

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Alcaide, Ana World music musicians Nyckelharpa players Spanish composers Musicians from Madrid 1976 births Living people Judaeo-Spanish-language singers Spanish-language singers Lund University alumni Complutense University of Madrid alumni 21st-century Spanish singers 21st-century Spanish women singers Spanish women composers