Biography
Born in Porto, Maria Paula Marques completed her BSc (1993) and Graduation (1999) in Guitar at the Escola Superior de Música e das Artes do Espectáculo, under the supervision of Professor José Pina. In 1995/1996, she attended a Post-Graduation program in Guitar with Robert Brightmore at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama (Certificate of Advanced Studies), where she was granted the Award Licensed Guidhall School of Music with Honors in the final recital, as well as the 1st Prize in Chamber Music (Pippa Portallion Chamber Music Prize), in a duet with the Austrian guitarist Christina Schorn. Throughout her academic training, Maria Paula Marques attended several advanced training courses with guitarists Alberto Ponce, David Russel, Leo Brouwer, Manuel Barrueco, Roberto Aussel, Ricardo Iznaola and Philip Thorne. She was awarded 3rd Prize ex-aequo of the Helena Sá e Costa Award (1997) and 1st Prize ex-aequo of the International Guitar Competition of Sernancelhe (1999). In 2005, she completed a Masters in Psychology of Music (Faculdade de Psicologia e das Ciências da Educação da Universidade do Porto and Escola Superior de Educação) and, in 2015, the Doctoral Program in Music (Performance) of the Universidade de Aveiro, with a scholarship from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (2012-2014). She has been presenting her latest research project (focused on the guitar interpretation of the violin sonatas BWV 1001, 1003 and 1005 by J. S. Bach) as conference-recitals, in concert halls and conferences. Her activity as interpreter has been devoted to both soloist and other chamber music guitar formations. Among these, the duet with Paulo Peres, with whom she develops a project focused on original Portuguese music for two guitars, needs to be highlighted. She is a guitar Professor at the Escola de Música Óscar da Silva. She has also taught at the Conservatório de Música do Porto, at the Curso de Música Silva Monteiro, at the Escola Superior de Música e das Artes do Espectáculo, and the Instituto Piaget de Viseu, among others. She has conducted several masterclasses and participated as a jury member in several guitar competitions.
