Acácio Piedade (1961) is a Brazilian-Portuguese composer, pianist, guitarist, and scholar whose work bridges contemporary concert music, jazz, and Brazilian musical traditions.
He studied composition with Almeida Prado, Damiano Cozzella, Conrado Silva, and Hans-Joachim Koellreutter, earning a bachelor’s degree in Composition. He later completed a PhD in Anthropology, focusing on the music of the Indigenous peoples of the Amazon, followed by postdoctoral research at the Sorbonne University in Paris and the Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt Weimar.
An award-winning composer, Piedade’s music has been performed by distinguished soloists, ensembles, and orchestras at major concerts and festivals throughout Latin America and Europe. His catalogue encompasses orchestral, chamber, vocal, and solo works, reflecting a distinctive artistic voice shaped by both contemporary classical music and the rich diversity of Brazilian musical culture.
After more than three decades as Professor of Music at the State University of Santa Catarina (UDESC), where he taught composition, harmony, analysis, and related disciplines, he is now retired Full Professor and continues his activities as a composer, performer, researcher, and educator. He currently lives in France.
Watch here a documentary about me and my music filmed in 2022, Florianópolis, Brazil (in Portuguese)
Page on Deutscher Komponistenverband
Composition and Anthropology: Interview (Text in Portuguese) by Hall Ceart – 2020
