Fernando Barbosa de Cerqueira

Origin

Bahia, BA

Years Active

1966–2026

Genres

contemporary music, classical music

Instruments

clarinet, voice

Biography

Fernando Barbosa de Cerqueira is a prominent Brazilian composer, music educator, and researcher, born in Bahia in 1941. His career spans various areas of music, including professional work as a clarinetist and singer, but his primary focus has been composition and music education. His academic background was consolidated at the School of Music of the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), where he studied composition with Ernst Widmer and performance with W. Endress and Wilfried Beck (clarinet), as well as voice with Sonia Born, graduating in composition in 1969.

His professional trajectory includes a significant tenure at the University of Brasília (UnB), where he taught starting in 1970, lecturing in subjects such as Basic Music Workshop, Clarinet, Choral Singing, Composition, Instrumentation, and Orchestration. In 1975, he returned to Salvador to join the faculty of UFBA, where he remained until his retirement in 1994. During his time at UFBA, he held important administrative positions, such as Vice-Head of the Music Department and Head of the Composition, Literature, and Musical Structuring Department. Since 2000, he has coordinated the musical activities of the Centro Projeto Axé in Salvador.

Cerqueira is one of the founders of the Bahia Composers Group (1966) and the Brazilian Society of Contemporary Music (1972). His work as a composer is recognized in the Brazilian contemporary music scene, and his activity as an educator has shaped new generations of musicians. His influence extends through his dedication to research and the dissemination of musical knowledge, consolidating him as an essential figure in Brazilian music.