Edmundo Villani-Côrtes

Mr. Edmundo Villani Côrtes was born in Juiz De Fora (Minas Gescis,
Brasil) on 08/11/1930. His first introduction to music was through his father
who played flute and his mother who played piano. As a young twelve
year old boy, he played a small guitar, and guitar all from intuition.  At
seventeen he started his theoretical music studies, including the piano at
the "Conservatôrio Brasileiro de Mûsica" (Rio de Janeiro) and completed
in 1954. By then he had already composed many compositions including a
piano concerto
(3 movements) which he first performed with the "Juiz de Fora
Philharmonic Orchestra" directed by Maestro Max Gefter (1956)
His professional career since then has been full of activity and
diversification. As a pianist and arranger, he has amassed more than 1000
musical works for television and recordings during 1970's to the 1990's
and has composed over 200 works that he wrote for solo instruments,
duets, trios, quartets, wind ensembles as well as symphonic orchestra.
Mr.Villani Côrtes has many Competition awards for various compositions  
such as: "Noneto de Munich" (1978) "Free Fair of Brasilian Music" (1981)
"Music Culture Prize" (1984) "Mario de Andrade Contest (1993)
In 1990 he was awarded "The Best Vocal Piece" by the "Musical Critics
Sâo Paulo Association"  In 1995 "The Best Choral - Symphonic Work"
In 1998 "The Best Experimental Work."
Mr.Villani Côrtes is a "Master of Music" at the School of Music at Rio de
Janeiro's Federal University, he is also "Doctor of Music" at the Musical
Institute of Arts, Sâo Paulo State University.
Mr.Villani Côrtes has a discography of over 30 CD's with recordings made
in Japan, USA, France, Italy, England, Switzerland as well as Brasil.