Juan Antonio Simarro facts for kids

Juan Antonio Simarro González, known as Juan Antonio Simarro, is a talented Spanish musician. He was born on December 17, 1973, in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Juan Antonio is a composer, which means he writes music. He is also an interpreter, meaning he performs music, and a producer, who helps create recordings. He is especially famous in Europe for his modern classical music. He has also worked with many popular singers, helping them arrange and produce their songs. Besides that, he writes music for TV shows, movies, and plays.

Juan Antonio Simarro's Musical Journey

Juan Antonio Simarro was born in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, which is in the Canary Islands. When he was four years old, his family moved to Madrid, where he still lives today.

How Simarro Started in Music

Simarro began his music lessons when he was 13. He learned many different things, including musical theory (how music works), chorale (singing in a choir), and music history. He also learned to play the violoncello and piano. He studied harmony, which is about how different notes sound good together, and even jazz music. He also learned how to conduct an orchestra, which means leading a group of musicians.

He earned a degree in Musical Education from the Complutense University of Madrid. For a while, he recorded music and went on tours with different artists. Since 2006, Juan Antonio Simarro has focused mostly on writing his own music.

Simarro's Work as an Arranger and Producer

Juan Antonio Simarro has worked with many famous singers. He has been a live musician, an arranger, or a producer for artists like Nena Daconte, Manu Tenorio, Julio Iglesias, and Dúo Dinámico. An arranger helps decide which instruments play what parts in a song, and a producer helps make the final recording sound great.

To explore his own creative ideas, he became an executive producer for a company called Marditos Roedores Producciones Multimedia. In 2008, he started his own music production company, Analógica Producciones S.L.. Through this company, he released his first classical music album and began his solo career.

Music for TV, Movies, and Plays

Simarro has composed a lot of music for Spanish television shows. You might have heard his music on shows like Popstars, Big Brother, El programa de Ana Rosa, and Ahora caigo. He also created music for commercials celebrating the 50 years of TVE, which is a Spanish TV channel.

He has also written music for films. Some of his movie scores include New Dominican Yorker, The land of the Lapping Death, and Obsesión 42.195. In 2013, he composed and directed the music for the movie Black Diamonds. He has also created music for Spanish short films like La Salchicha and El niño de Alambre, as well as for various theater projects.

Simarro's Classical Music Career

Juan Antonio Simarro often performs his own music. He plays solo on the piano, violoncello, violin, and ukulele.

In 2006, he released two ballets, El Equilibrista and La Malaventura, with Javier Gúrpide. These were released by the RTVE Música recording company.

On October 1, 2013, which was the International Day of Music, he presented his orchestral works in Minsk, Belarus. These included Cádiz, Symphonic Poem, Adagio for violin, piano and string orchestra, and String Quartet no. 1, along with piano duos and solos.

Many different orchestras have performed Simarro's music, such as the City of Praga Symphony Orchestra, the RTVE Symphony Orchestra, and The Moscow State Radio Television Symphony Orchestra. Talented musicians like Iñaki Etxepare and Edith Saldaña (violoncello), and Ara Malikian (violin) have also collaborated on his pieces.

He often chooses the National Auditorium of Madrid to premiere his works. His music has also been performed in other famous places like Teatro Monumental in Madrid, Teatro Euskalduna in Bilbao, and Palau de la Musica in Barcelona.

Exploring Other Music Styles

While known for classical music, Simarro also explores other styles.

Pop and Jazz Music

In 2012, he released Bipolar, more or less, which was a pop music project. It was a collaboration with other professional musicians, designed to explore different feelings and sounds in pop music.

His single Night at the Café Montarto (2013) is a jazz piece. It started as an improvisation on the piano, meaning he made it up as he played.

African Rhythms in Film

For the movie Black Diamonds (2013), Simarro created a soundtrack that was strongly influenced by African tribal rhythms. This shows his ability to work with many different musical styles.

Simarro's Current Activities

Juan Antonio Simarro is the Artistic Director for a Spanish foundation called Voces para la conciencia y el Desarrollo. This non-profit organization works to help people and countries develop in a sustainable way, fight poverty, and use culture to inspire social change. To support this, he has performed philanthropic gigs (charity concerts) and led cultural workshops in developing countries.

In 2013, he released his first solo album, also titled Juan Antonio Simarro, through his own music production company, Análogica Producciones S.L..

During 2013 and 2014, he toured various countries in Europe and the Americas, including Madrid, Moscow, Ukraine, Belarus, the US, and Venezuela. On these tours, he presented his compositions and performed solo pieces.

Among his well-known works are his passionate Cadiz, Symphonic Poem, which has a clear Spanish sound, and his intense and romantic Adagio for violin, piano and orchestra. In 2015, he attended the Salzburg Festival in Austria, a very important event for classical music.

Discography

Albums

• 2006: El equilibrista y La malaventura, with Javier Gúrpide (RTVE Música)
• 2013: Juan Antonio Simarro (Analógica Producciones)

Singles

• 2006: El equilibrista (ballet)
• 2006: La malaventura (ballet)
• 2012: How can I say how much I love you
• 2013: Adagio for violin, piano and string orchestra
• 2013: String quartet no. 1
• 2013: Duo No. 1 for cello and piano. Nocturne
• 2013: Duo No. 1 for violin and piano. Nocturne
• 2013: Divertimento for ukelele and string orchestra
• 2013: Night at the Café Montarto
• 2013: Dream No. 1
• 2013: Dream No. 2
• 2013: Drean No. 3

Multimedia Works

• 2012: How can I say how much I love you (video)
• 2014: Cádiz, Symphonic Poem (video, published by Gerardo Estrada)
• 2014: Adagio for violin, piano and string orchestra (video)
• 2014: Night at the Café Montarto (video)
• 2014: Dream No. 1 (video)
• 2014: Dream No. 2 (video)
• 2014: Divertimento for ukelele and string orchestra (video)

See also

In Spanish: Juan Antonio Simarro para niños