João Janeiro

João Janeiro has studied harpsichord, organ, clavichord and musicology in Lisbon, and divides his professional activity between research, concerts, recordings, teaching and conducting.

He is particularly active disseminating Portuguese musical heritage with CD editions, concerts, conferences and masterclasses, being responsible for several modern premieres of Portuguese baroque composers.

He has participated in several international projects and music festivals in Portugal, Spain, Brasil, Italy, France, Norway, Japan, Iceland and Switzerland, either as soloist or maestro al cembalo, and directed several baroque and opera productions (Monteverdi, Lully, Mozart), and Bach Passions as well, and directs ‘Flores de Mvsica’n ‘Capella Joanina’ ensembles, ‘Concerto Ibérico – Baroque Orchestra‘ and ‘YOU-BO Youth Baroque Orchestra‘.

As musicologist, he did the critical edition of João Baptista Avondano Sonatas and of Francisco António de Almeida works, and has been working on the critical edition of the first opera of a Portuguese composer – La Pazienza di Socrate. He also did the reconstruction of Pereira da Costa Concerti Grossi, which he has also recorded recently in CD.

He directs the West Coast Festival de Música de Oeiras, CIMA – Early Music Summer Courses and MAAC International Harpsichord-Fortepiano Academies, continuously and intensively promoting the development of a new generation of Portuguese harpsichordists and musicians in the early music field. In 2001 he finished the Inventory of Historical Organs of Alentejo for the Ministry of Culture, coordinated restoration processes and directed the ‘Jornadas de Órgão do Alentejo’ festival between 1997- 2001.

João Janeiro teaches harpsichord, organ, chamber music, basso continuo and the historical performance classes at ESART-IPCB and at EMNSC. President of MAAC and founding member of CESEM (FCSH-UNL) and Portuguese Society for Research in Music (SPIM), he has presented papers and published articles about Portuguese Baroque music.

Among his CD recordings are the organ and harpsichord solo ‘A Influência Italiana’ with Évora historical organs; ‘A Dança Como Matriz’ with Moncorvo and Castelo Branco historical organs; ‘J. S. Bach Neumeister Collection’ with the Arlesheim Silbermann historical organ; ‘Gomes da Silva Harpsichord Sonatas’ with Antunes 1789 harpsichord; the chamber music, ‘Sonatas de João Baptista Avondano (modern premiere); ‘Música de Câmara de Pedro António Avondano’ with Avondano Ensemble (modern premiere); ‘Johann Ernst Galliard Complete Recorder Sonatas with Contágio Baroque Ensemble; directing from the organ or the harpsichord the Flores Mvsica & Capella Joanina: Francisco António de Almeida Te Deum (modern premiere); ‘David Perez Matuttino de ‘Morti’; João Lourenço Rebelo Beata Mariae Virginis Vespers’ (modern premiere).