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Mario Verandi

photo credit: Edgardo Rudnitzky

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Mario Verandi is an Argentinean, Berlin-based composer, musician and producer with a long term fascination with exploring the blurring of musical genres. This has led him to develop a personal sound universe difficult to classify. His music draws from a distinctive combination of modern classical, ambient and electronic music. The classical music influences spreads an aura of mystery and fragile melancholy in Mario´s music and the experimental electronics introduce unpredictability and exploration, allowing unconventional textures and sounds to emerge. With an education in classical music, he also played in bands of different styles such as rock, jazz, tango and experimental. During his decade-long stay in London he spent an extended period studying and exploring electroacoustic music techniques.

Mario´s works have received prizes and awards in the Prix Ars Electronica Awards (Linz), European Bell Days Composition Prize (ZKM, Karlsruhe), Bourges International Electroacoustic Music Competition (France), Musica Nova Competition (Prague), CIEJ Electronic Music Awards (Barcelona) and SGAE Electroacoustic Music Competition (Spain). It has also been included in the Essex Collection of Latin American Art.
Mario Verandi´s works have been featured worldwide in events such as Multiphonies GRM (Paris), Donaueschinger Musiktage (Germany), Kontakte Berlin, MaerzMusik (Berlin), Open House Contemporary Argentine Art Exhibition (London), International Poetry Festival (Berlin), Inventionen (Berlin), iscm World Music Days (Manchester), Interactive Futures (Canada), Festival Futura (France), Festival Musica (Strasbourg), Ciclo de Música Contémporanea Teatro San Martín (Buenos Aires), State of the Nation (London), Rumours Concerts (Birmingham, UK), Logos Concerts (Belgium), Música Viva Festival (Portugal) and Stockholm Electronic Music Festival.
He was artist-in-residence at the AIR Artist-in-Residence (Krems, Austria), TONSPUR-Q21 (MuseumsQuartier Wien) in Vienna, Studio for Electroacoustic Music at the Academy of the Arts in Berlin, La Muse en Circuit (Paris), Césaré studio de création musicale (Reims), TU-Electronic Music Studios Berlin, ZKM (Center for Art and Media Technology, Karlsruhe ), DAAD Artists-in-Berlin Program and at the Gabinete de música electroacústica de Cuenca GME (Spain). In addition, he participated in the 1998 International Course for Professional Composers and Choreographers at Bretton Hall University (UK), the 1999 Music Theater Workshop at the Theater Royal Stratford East (London) and in the 1996 “Exchange” for Professional Composers and Choreographers at the Royal Festival Hall (London).
He has worked among others with the Neuen Vocalsolisten Stuttgart, Lautten Compagney (Berlin), poet Monika Rinck, visual artist Catherine Ferguson, choreographer Helge Musial,  theater director Grazyna Kania, film-maker Harun Farocki, visual artists Corinna Rosteck and Lillevan as well as with a number of musicians: Guilherme Rodrigues, Sebastian Selke (Ceeys), Dina Bolschakova, Theo Nabicht, Andrea Neumann, Nora Thiele, Sidney Corbett, John Eckhard, Jefrrey Bossin, Seth Josel, Jonas Kocher …
Mario Verandi studied music at the Music School of the Rosario National University in Argentina. His main teachers were Dante Grela, Aldo Antognazzi, Marta Varela and Carlos Castro. At the same time he played piano and keyboards in groups of different styles such as rock, folk, tango and experimental. In 1986 he moved to Barcelona and studied with Gabriel Brncic and Xavier Serra at the Phonos Electroacoustic Music Studios. In 1991 he moved to London and continued his studies with Jonty Harrison at the University of Birmingham (UK) where he completed a Master and a Doctor degree in Electroacoustic music. During that time he was a member of BEAST (Birmingham ElectroAcoustic Sound Theatre). In addition, he carried out studies in master classes and workshops with Luc Ferrari, Kevin Volans,Trevor Wishart and Javier Álvarez. In 2000 he moved to Berlin after being awarded a fellowship to take part in the prestigious artists-in-berlin residence programme of the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service). He has given courses and lectures in music institutions in Europe, USA and LatinAmerica and in 2003-2004 was guest lecturer at the musicology department of the Berlin Free University.
Mario´s works were released by Time Released Sound (USA), EMF (Electronic Music Foundation, New York),  Edition RZ (Berlin), Play Loud! Productions (Berlin) and appear on several compilation albums.