Rodrigo Pires de Lima finished his Doctoral Degree at the University of Minnesota (USA) in May 2019. He also completed a Specialization (21st Century Music for Saxophone) at the Conservatory of Strasbourg (France), a Master Degree in Music Education, Master in Music and he graduated in Music – Saxophone at the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa.
Pires de Lima Doctoral project «The use of human echolocation in music» – the first musical piece for people with visual impairment without resorting to braille as a reading aid – obtained prominence in several Media channels and a prize for technologic innovation from INR in 2019.
Rodrigo Pires de Lima taught Improvisation and Culture and Repertory in Music Therapy at the Lusíada University between 2019-2021, and he currently teaches at the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa.
Pires de Lima was a Saxophone Soloist at the Portuguese National Guard Symphonic Band from 2004 to 2019.
As a chamber music performer, he collaborated with the Czech pianist and composer Zdenka Kosnarova as Duo 152, and, together, toured Europe and performed recitals that have included some original compositions. In 2017, Pires de Lima embraced a new project – ELECTROVILLE JUKEBOX. This project blends improvisation, contemporary music, World music, electronic music, Portuguese composers and some originals. He combines his passion for chamber music with an active career as a soloist, performing solo concerts all across the country and abroad, recording premieres for saxophone and orchestra.
Rodrigo Pires de Lima dedicates some of his time to the composition of pieces with the focus on the saxophone. In 2013 he composed “Weiss (442Hz-453hHz)” for alto saxophone solo; in 2017 “Daniela 3.0”, for baritone saxophone, electric guitar, percussion and electronics; in 2019 “Oak Grove” for saxophone quartet, “Kitchen Gadgets” for sax orchestra, drums and singer in 2021; and MosaiCo for trio (variable) and singer in 2022.
WORKS
Grief | soprano saxophone & piano