Daniel Pantoja

DANIEL PANTOJA
flautist, composer, and arranger
was born in Rio de Janeiro/RJ, Brazil, January 3rd, 1981

pantoja_pantoja@yahoo.com.br
www.myspace.com/pantojadaniel

At the age of 7, began his studies of music in the "Instituto dos Meninos Cantores" (IMCP), Petrópolis/RJ. Then, he began his studies of flute with Lena Horta at the Brazilian Conservatory of Music in Rio de Janeiro/RJ, by the age of 13 years old. Later on, he studied flute, harmony, and improvisation with flautist Estêvão Teixeira in the State Conservatory of Music Haidèe França Americano in Juiz de Fora/MG. In 2004, he entered the School of Music of the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) in Belo Horizonte/MG, studying with Artur Andrés, from "UAKTI", and Mauro Rodrigues, graduating with a bachelor's degree in flute with emphasis in composition. In 2005, also attended the City Lit Course of Jazz, London/UK. In 2006, attended the Harmony & Improvisation course by Ian Guest at the Minueto Music Center of Belo Horizonte/MG.

While singing in the choir "Canarinhos de Petrópolis", Petrópolis/RJ, recorded many CDs and performed in foremost theaters of main Brazilian capitals and toured with this group throughout the US. In Juiz de Fora/MG, from 1996 to 2004, he held several presentations with theater groups and bands of different music genres. He has participated of important projects such as "Flavio Pantoja presents Pixinguinha Unpublished" (Pixinguinha's Centennial Celebration) and "ECO 2007" (celebration of Brazil's 500th Anniversary), touring through several capitals in Brazil and playing along side Flavio Pantoja, Vittor Santos, Robertinho Silva, Paulo Sérgio Santos, Pascoal Meirelles, Marcelo Bernardes, Dirceu Leite, Roberto Marques, and Jorge Helder, among others. With the choir "Mater Verbi", of Juiz de Fora/MG, he performed in Montevideo/Uruguay and in Buenos Aires/Argentina. From 2005 to 2006, while living in London/UK, played at the "Guanabara Bar" and performed in festivals ("Port Elliot Lit" Festival and "Mind and Body Spirit" Festival) with Brazilian music groups.

In 2006, he joined "MISTURADA ORQUESTRA" (www.myspace.com/misturadaorquestra) and "RAMO" (www.myspace.com/gruporamo); with them he has been composing, arranging, improvising, and performing. In 2008, participated in "TLALPAN" (Festival of Cultures of Resistance) with representatives of the community of Arturos (Congado Mineiro), in Mexico City/MX. In 2009, he won the Pixinguinha prize from the Brazilian National Art Foundation (FUNARTE) with "RAMO" (original work), thus recording their own compositions. Also in 2009, they released their first album in cities of Minas Gerais state, and Rio de Janeiro state. In 2010, with “RAMO”, won the Marco Antônio Araújo prize from the Bank of Development of Minas Gerais state (BDMG), for best instrumental CD with independent production, for the CD released in 2009.

Currently, Daniel Pantoja is attending courses of arranging, composition and performance at Berklee College of Music (Boston, MA, USA), and is dedicated to intensive research in the areas of composition, creation, arrangement, improvisation, and insertion of new technologies into the compositional process.