Leo Brouwer

Leo Brouwer (b. 1939) is a Cuban composer, guitarist, and conductor. Born on 1st March in Havana, he went to the United States to study music at the University of Hartford, and later at the Juilliard School, where he was taught composition by Stefan Wolpe. Brouwer's early works show the influence of Cuban folk music, but during the 1960s and 1970s he became interested in the music of modernist composers such as Luigi Nono and Iannis Xenakis, using indeterminacy in works such as Sonograma I. Other works from this period include the guitar pieces Canticum (1968), La espiral eterna (1971), Parábola (1973), and Tarantos (1974). More recently, Brouwer's works have started leaning towards tonality and modality. The solo guitar works El Decamerón negro (1981), the Sonata (1990, for Julian Bream), and Paisaje cubano con campanas (1996) exemplify this tendency. Brouwer has held a number of official posts in Cuba, including the directorship of the Cinema Institute of Cuba's music department. Among his works are a large number of solo guitar pieces, several guitar concertos, and over forty film scores. Brouwer is involved in the Concurso y Festival Internacional de Guitarra de la Habana.