Evencio Castellanos

Infobox musical artist
Name = Evencio Castellanos


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Background = classical_ensemble
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Born = birth date|1915|5|3|mf=y
flagicon|Venezuela Cúa, Miranda state, Venezuela
Died = death date and age|1984|3|16|1915|5|3
Caracas, Venezuela
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Instrument = Piano
Genre = Classical music, Venezuelan popular music
Occupation = musician, pianist, composer, director
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Associated_acts = Venezuela Symphony Orchestra, Orfeón Lamas, Collegium Musicum de Caracas
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Evencio Castellanos was a Venezuelan pianist, composer and director. He was born in Cúa, Miranda state on May 3, 1915. His parents were Pablo Castellanos and Matilde Yumar. His musical initiation took place of the hand of his father who was an organist and Chapel Master.

In 1938 he entered the Academy of Music in Caracas (Escuela Superior de Música, today called Escuela Superior de Musica "Jose Angel Lamas"), where he studied singing with Antonio Pardo Soublette, cello with Carlos Áñez, music history with Juan Bautista Plaza and harmony and composition with Vicente Emilio Sojo.

On July 4, 1944 he graduated as teacher-composer, and was part of the first generation of composers who had studied under Vicente Emilio Sojo, and whose compositions were oriented towards the nationalistic musical tendency.

In 1946 he was designated director of the University Choir, for which he composed the university anthem, based of the words of Luis Pastori and Tomás Alfaro Calatrava. Between August 1947 and September 1949, he received a scholarship to New York City where he studied piano with Carlos Buhler. On his return to Venezuela, he became a member of the Caracas Cathedral choir, as well as playing the organ, and the title of Chapel Teacher. Also, he was a member of the Orfeón Lamas, for 15 years, and instrumentalist of the Venezuela Symphony Orchestra.

In parallel to his life as a musician, he taught at various chairs of the Academy of Music in functions such as piano instructor (1938-1947), piano professor (1945-1947), key professor (1946-1972), professor of musical composition (1957-1964) and director of the Superior school (1965-1972). Vice-president of the Board of directors of the Venezuela Symphony Orchestra (1950-1951 and 1959), was member of the Consultative Superior Council of the orchestra, president of the Venezuela Association de Authors and Composers (1958-1959), director-founder of the Collegium Musicum de Caracas, director of the Student Orchestra of the Central University of Venezuela (1969) and director of the Experimental Orchestra of the Venezuela Symphony Orchestra, to which directed its inaugural concert, May 15, 1970.

From 1979 to 1984, he served as musical adviser of the Latin American Institute of Research and Musical Studies.

Throughout his musical career, Castellanos obtained several awards and recognitions, such as the Teresa Carreño Prize, by the Caracas Athenaeum (1952) for his Tribute to Teresa Carreño, the National Prize of Music for his symphonic poem "Santa Cruz de Pacairigua" (1954), and the National Prize of Music (1962) for the oratorio "Tirano Aguirre". Through his executions and adjustments, imposed a shining pianistic style that expressed in his compilations and harmonizations of hall waltzes.

Castellanos died in Caracas on March 16, 1984 at the age of 68.

See also

*Venezuela
*Venezuelan music