Bio

Born on May 18, 1949 in Cascais (Portugal). Self-taught composer, studied communication. Involved for over 15 years in noise pollution control, research and regulation with the Portuguese environmental authority. Studied with two great Canadian composers and teachers, R. Murray Schafer and Barry Truax, who became his most crucial influencies. They are pioneers in what are now two soundly established fields of both the scientific and the artistic worlds: acoustic ecology and acoustic communication. These two areas became and still remain his guiding disciplines to this day.

A special reference must be made to a particular composer, the late Constança Capdeville, with whom Carlos worked in a series of projects as her assistant and musician.

In 1988 at Simon Fraser University (Vancouver, Canada) Carlos had the opportunity to familiarize himself with Truax's computer music techniques and at this university and under the composer’s supervision he completed his M.A., coincidental with his growing interest in hypermedia communication (cf. his thesis titled "Thought, Expression and Hypermediacy".

Carlos’ long-time flirt (obsession?) with the fragmentation of reality drove him into the areas of multimedia and hypermedia which form now a significant part of his artistic and academic interests. He remains particularly keen on researching the use of multimedia techniques and technology in the creation of new musical forms of composition.

He also works professionally in video, new media and graphic design. In his work he tries to reflect all these experiences and to synthesize them in his musical thought and production.

Between 2001 and 2003 Carlos worked for "Coimbra Capital Nacional da Cultura 2003" curating the Music and Sound Arts Progam of this event. Here's a candid description of that program. A number of quite significant and exciting musical events took place in Coimbra during 2003!

These days you’ll find him mostly working in his studio called Euphonia Labs.

Carlos Alberto Augusto