About

“On the second night I sat close to the central ‘sweet spot’ of the surround sound system, and it made a huge difference to the convincingness of the effect. The brief, rapid succession of bell chimes with which Ângela Da Ponte opened her performance was extraordinarily effective in creating an acoustic and imaginative illusion of mediæval religious architecture; the variety of sounds, both ‘indigenous’ (chants, chimes) and ‘extraneous’ (electronic tones and pulses), with which composer then filled this space all seemed like they belonged there.” Nathan Davies, Fluid Radio

“Even more thrilling was State of(f) Emergencies by Portugal’s Ângela da Ponte. A compelling lyrical tension gave the opening an edgy atmosphere, before letting rip, now feisty and tough, and suddenly ascending into high registers. Following its behavioural and dramatic trajectory was an exhilarating experience: presenting a more complex form of lyricism; fracturing apart into pointillism, hardly any pitches speaking by this point; turning surly and unstable, ripples disrupting the material and triggering harsh accents, before finally something akin to earthquake tremors impossibly brought order in the form of suspended octaves. It was a powerful moment of focus bringing to end the most fabulous piece.” Simon Cummings/ 5:4 World New Music Days 2025, Portugal

Biography (185 words)

Ângela da Ponte is a Portuguese composer whose work explores sound as a space of deep listening, where instrumental, electroacoustic and mixed-media practices converge through carefully shaped dramaturgical and perceptual processes. Since 2016 her work has increasingly engaged with Portuguese traditional music and instruments, developing a distinctive contemporary language in which memory, materiality and resonance are re-imagined.

She holds a PhD from the University of Birmingham and is Professor at the Vila Real Conservatoire and the Superior School of Music and Performing Arts (Porto), as well as a researcher at CESEM – Centre for the Study of Music. Her music has been commissioned and performed internationally by ensembles and orchestras including Remix Ensemble, Smirnov Quartet, BEAST, Gulbenkian Orchestra, Orchestre National d’Île-de-France, Oregon Symphony, Vertixe Sonora and Ensemble New Babylon.

Her work has been presented at major festivals across Europe and the Americas. She represented Portugal at the International Rostrum of Composers and was winner of the 1^st Alvaro García de Zúñiga International Lied Composition Competition (2024). Her works are published by Scherzo Editions, Arpejo Editora, MIC and Tot Per L’Aire and CD recording by Miso Records.

Detailed biography

Ângela da Ponte (b. 1984, Azores) is a Portuguese composer whose work explores sound as a field of deep listening, where instrumental, electroacoustic and mixed-media practices are brought into dialogue through finely shaped perceptual and dramaturgical processes. Since 2016 her work has increasingly engaged with Portuguese traditional music and instrumental practices, developing a distinctive contemporary language in which memory, materiality and resonance are continuously re-imagined. She is a pioneer in integrating the Azorean viola da terra into contemporary composition, extending its sonic, structural and expressive potential within new musical contexts.

She holds a PhD from the University of Birmingham (UK) and is Professor at the Vila Real Conservatoire and the Superior School of Music and Performing Arts, as well as a researcher at CESEM – Centre for the Study of Music. Her artistic formation includes studies with João Madureira, Dimitris Andrikopoulos, Carlos Guedes and Marina Pikoul, and later with Jonty Harrison and Michael Zev Gordon, alongside collaborations and workshops with ensembles such as BEAST, BCMG, EXAUDI and HERMES, and composers including Magnus Lindberg, Emmanuel Nunes, Dai Fujikura and Pierluigi Billone.

Her music has been commissioned and performed internationally by leading soloists, ensembles and orchestras including the Remix Ensemble, Smirnov Quartet (Basel Music Academy), Drumming GP, BEAST, BLAST (Bogotá Los Andes Sound Theater), the Gulbenkian Orchestra, the Orchestre National d’Île-de-France, Oregon Symphony, Vertixe Sonora and Ensemble New Babylon, as well as numerous specialist performers. Her works have been presented at major contemporary music festivals and platforms across Europe and the Americas, including Visiones Sonoras (Mexico), Audiokineza (Poland), Kulturfabrik – 33,7 Festival (Luxembourg), Música Viva Festival (Portugal) and BEAST FEaST (UK).

In 2021 she represented Portugal at the International Rostrum of Composers, and in 2023 her music was selected for the ISCM World Music Days in South Africa. Further distinctions include the Ibermúsicas Prize for Composition and Premiere (2022), the First Prize at the Álvaro García de Zúñiga International Lied Composition Competition, and her appointment as Young Composer in Residence at Casa da Música (2011). Her music is published by Scherzo Editions, Arpejo Editora, MIC and Tot Per L’Aire, with recordings released by Miso Records.