Ricardo Llorca facts for kids

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Ricardo Llorca (born in 1958 in Alicante, Spain) is a Spanish-American composer, which means he writes original music. Since 1988, he has lived and worked in New York City.

Llorca is a graduate of the famous Juilliard School, a top-rated school for music and arts. He has also been a teacher there since 1995. He creates music for many different things, including operas, orchestras, and even for dance companies, movies, and TV shows.

His most famous works include the operas Las Horas Vacías (The Empty Hours) and Tres Sombreros de Copa (Three Top Hats). Llorca's music often mixes the sounds and feelings of his Spanish home with modern musical ideas.

A Life in Music

Ricardo Llorca does more than just write music. He also helps bring music to the public by organizing concerts and cultural events. This is an important part of his career.

Sharing Music with the World

Since 2008, Llorca has worked with The New York Opera Society. He helps plan events, choose artists, and find support for concerts. Thanks to his work, concerts have been held at amazing places like the Italian Embassy, the Smithsonian Museum, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

He has also been helping the Queen Sofía Spanish Institute in New York City since 1994. There, he organizes concerts that feature talented musicians from around the world.

What His Music Sounds Like

Ricardo Llorca believes that music should come from feelings and intuition, not just from rules and techniques. He tries to create a unified sound in his work, rather than just mixing different styles together. He sees himself as part of a group of composers who returned to more traditional ideas in music.

One writer, Rubén Jordán, said that Llorca's music has a special "duality." This means it combines clear, organized structures with creative ideas that feel fresh and brave.

Llorca also writes the words for some of his musical pieces. He wrote the text for his works The Dark Side and Tres Sombreros de Copa, as well as the story for his opera Las Horas Vacías.

Famous Works

Ricardo Llorca has created many well-known musical pieces throughout his career.

Operas

An opera is a story told through singing and music. Llorca has written two major operas.

Las Horas Vacías (The Empty Hours)

This opera first appeared in 2007. It tells the story of a lonely woman who lives in her own world on the internet. The opera has been performed in many cities, including Berlin, Saint Petersburg, and New York. In 2021, a full stage version was performed in Madrid, Spain.

Tres Sombreros de Copa (Three Top Hats)

This opera is based on a famous Spanish play. It's a fun and imaginative story. The opera was first performed in São Paulo, Brazil, in 2017. In 2019, it was performed at the famous Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid. Critics loved how Llorca's music perfectly captured the play's "tenderness, absurdity, and brilliant madness."

Music for Orchestra

Llorca has also written powerful music for symphony orchestras.

• Three Pieces for Piano and Orchestra was first performed in 1999 in Madrid.
• Concerto Italiano is a piece for flute, guitar, harpsichord (an instrument like a piano), and a string orchestra. It was first performed in 2002.
• Thermidor is a dramatic piece for organ and a full symphony orchestra. It was commissioned by the National Orchestra of Spain and performed in 2014.

Awards

Ricardo Llorca has received several important awards for his music.

• Richard Rogers Scholarship (1992)
• "Virgen de la Almudena" Award (1999)
• American Chamber Music Award (1994)
• John Simon Guggenheim Scholarship (2001)

Recordings

Many of Llorca's works have been recorded and released on CD and for streaming. This allows people all over the world to hear his music. Some of his recorded works include:

• "Tres piezas para piano y orquesta" (2004)
• "Concierto Italiano" (2005)
• "Las Horas Vacias - The Empty Hours" (2011)
• "Handeliana" (2013)

List of Major Works

Here is a table of some of Ricardo Llorca's most important musical creations.

See also

In Spanish: Ricardo Llorca para niños