Biography
Francisco Parente Ramos is a PhD candidate in Musical Sciences (Ethnomusicology) at the School of Social Sciences and Humanities of the Nova University of Lisbon / Institute of Ethnomusicology - Centre for Studies in Music and Dance. He began his musical studies at the Escola Profissional de Artes da Beira Interior (Covilhã), has a degree in music (violin) from the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa and completed his master's degree in music teaching at the University of Évora, presenting the "Report on supervised teaching practice carried out at the Escola Artística de Música do Conservatório Nacional: non-verbal communication in the context of individual violin lessons". Based on the research carried out for this report, published an article in the journal Per Musi in 2022: "Non-verbal communication in the context of individual violin lessons". Violin". He taught violin at the Escola de Artes do Alentejo Litoral (2010 - 2013), the Conservatório das Caldas da Rainha (2015 - 2020), the Escola de Jazz do Barreiro (2015 - 2020), the Academia de Jazz “Os Franceses” – Barreiro (2020 - 2022) and the Conservatório de Música e Teatro “Sons e Compassos” – Terrugem, Sintra (2019 - 2024). He has also continued his musical activity on stage and/or in the studio with various groups such as the Orquestra Sinfónica de Tomar, Orquestra de Câmara de Sintra, Sinfonietta de Ponta Delgada, Velvet Quintet (founding member), Naked Lunch Quartet (founding member), Lisbon Poetry Orchestra, Abril em Branco, Profound Whatever; and artists such as Afonso Cabral, Conan Osiris, Silly, Sam the Kid or António Chaínho.
Doctoral Project
Title
Communicating with the body: an ethnographic study of Lisbon's symphony orchestras
Avisor
Abstract
The non-verbal communication of conductors is a specific language used in a particular context, but it is recognised and understood throughout the world by performers of Western classical music. With the possible differences, we can extend this population to all musicians in groups where the figure of a conductor is present, such as choirs, philharmonic bands or jazz big bands. This research focuses on analysing a collective musical context, the symphony orchestra, in which the figure of the conductor and his way of communicating stand out. As an ethnographer, but also a musician, in this research I will observe and describe the non-verbal communication of musicians and conductors in their context and understand its impact on the performance. This is an ethnography of relationships, interactions and discourses, and could be an important ethnomusicological contribution to the study of communication mechanisms in this musical context.
Keywords: orchestral conducting, non-verbal communication, conductor, orchestra, ethnography.
Funding: Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (2023.05408.BD)
