Prizes
Prize | Huayma Tulian wins the Francisco de Lacerda Composition Prize
Huayma Tulian, a doctoral student at INET-md, won the third edition of the Francisco de Lacerda Composer Prize with his orchestral work “Ilha Imaginária”. This prize was created in 2022 by the Azorean Cultural Association Francisco de Lacerda to stimulate musical creation in Portugal.
Huayma Tulian has just won the 2024 Francisco de Lacerda Prize, sponsored by the Millennium BCP Foundation, for his orchestral work "Ilha Imaginária." This award marks an important recognition of his contributions to composition, especially in a career that has so far been more focused on performance.
The piece was composed in response to the competition's theme, which called for a connection to the life and work of Francisco de Lacerda or his birthplace, the Azores. Tulian drew inspiration from his childhood memories, imagining the ancestral music of the Azorean islands. He crafted a soundscape rich in elements of the traditional dances and songs he remembered from his youth. "The aim was to explore both a sense of familiarity and strangeness, imagining the rituals, people, and music of the streets and festivals," explained the composer.
Though "Ilha Imaginária" is an orchestral work, it remains closely tied to Tulian is PhD research at UA and INET-md, where he focuses on integrated processes of composition and performance, with a particular emphasis on the guitar. He also notes, "Ilha Imaginária is an extension of the Danzas Imaginarias series for guitar, which has been a focal point of my research."
The work will premiere this Saturday, September 28, performed by the Lisbon Metropolitan Orchestra under the baton of Bruno Borralhinho, at the closing concert of the Francisco de Lacerda Atlantic Sound Encounters, held at the National Library in Lisbon.
The jury for the 2024 Francisco de Lacerda Prize, which included composers Magnus Lindberg, Bernard Foccroulle, Helen Grime, and Vasco Mendonça, praised Tulian's compositional talent, awarding him this prestigious distinction, worth €7,500. "Receiving this prize is a great honor and a valuable recognition of my work as a composer," Tulian shared. He added, "Until now, my academic career has been more focused on performance, so this award highlights another important aspect of my work."
