Am I ?

Complete Biography

Born in São Paulo in 1994, Guilherme Araujo de Almeida is a Brazilian composer, improviser, and visual artist whose career spans composition, performance, pedagogy, and interdisciplinary art. 

Beginning as a self-taught pianist, he later pursued formal studies at the São Paulo School of Music (EMMSP), where he studied piano under Scheilla Glaser, harmony with Antonio Ribeiro, history of music with Leonardo Martinelli, and theory with Hermes Jacchieri and Aida Machado. During this time, he served as a répétiteur for the Infanto-Juvenil Choir under Regina Kinjo, participating in prestigious opera productions at the São Paulo Opera House, including Pagliacci (2014) and Othello (2015). He also accompanied ballet classes at the São Paulo School of Dance under the direction of Suzana Yamauchi. His education included a technical program in choral conducting at the ETEC de Artes (2011–2012), studies in Analysis and Brazilian popular music at EMESP, choir training at the OSESP Academy under Marcos Tadeu Gomes, and composition studies at the São Paulo State University (UNESP) in 2016, where he deepened his understanding of contemporary music.

During this period, he began to establish himself professionally as a composer, pianist, and singer in São Paulo’s vibrant cultural scene. His choral works, such as Quichua (2018) and Acolhimento: 7 dias (2019), were performed by the Coral Paulistano under the direction of Naomi Munakata at the Sala do Conservatório and Mosteiro de São Bento, respectively. A Máquina Humana (2021), celebrating the 85th anniversary of the Coral Paulistano, was conducted by Maira Ferreira at the São Paulo Opera House, while 9 de Agosto (2023) was premiered under Isabela Siscari at the Sala do Conservatório. Additionally, Vento-Ventania (2017) was performed by the OSESP Youth Choir, conducted by Paulo Moura at Sala São Paulo.

As a singer, he performed with the São Paulo Opera Choir and the OSESP Symphonic Choir, showcasing versatility in a cappella repertoire, symphonic works, and operatic productions. He sang under the baton of Marin Alsop (Symphony No. 8 by Mahler, 2019), Krzysztof Penderecki (Hymne à St. Daniel, 2017), and Neil Thomson (Requiem by Fauré, 2017). With the Coral Paulistano, he participated in performances of Frank Martin’s Mass (2019), Handel’s Messiah (2018) conducted by Roberto Minczuk, and Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier (2018) at the São Paulo Opera House. As a soloist, he performed Haydn’s Requiem at the Campos do Jordão Festival in 2019, under the direction of Luis Otavio Santos and he also made two notable solo with the Banda Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo, under the direction of Mônica Giardini, performing in Os Saltimbancos (2014) and A Arca de Noé (2015).

Equally in demand as a pianist, he served as a pianist for the São José Symphonic Choir, working under Sérgio Werneck, where he performed iconic works such as Carmina Burana (2017). Later, he joined the Projeto Bacarelli, collaborating with Maira Ferreira as the choir’s pianist and composer. During this time, he created Frevo for young choir and piano, which premiered at the São Paulo Museum of Art (MASP) in 2019. He also worked with the Contemporary Group of EMESP, where he premiered pieces like Sagitário (2016, MASP Auditorium), Kiririri (2019, EMESP Auditorium), and Chita Garaú (2022, Theatro São Pedro), a dramatic scene for drag queens, ensemble, and electronics directed by Sara Hornsby.

In 2019, he joined the prestigious World Youth Choir, performing with exceptional young vocalists under Josep Vila i Casañas. As a soloist, he performed in venues like the Abbaye de Sylvanès in France, the Teatro Nacional São Carlos in Lisbon, and the Roman Theatre in Vaison-la-Romaine. Later that year, he commenced studies at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), earning his Master’s degree in Improvisation in 2024 with highest distinction (félicitations du jury), specializing in Improvisation Generative under Thierry Escaich, Vincent Lê-Quang, Alexandros Markeas, and Jean-François Zygel. His studies included Indian music improvisation with Henri Tournier, Ondes Martenot with Nathalie Forget and Mélodie et Lied with Jeff Cohen, Chef de chant à l’Opéra National de Paris.

Between 2020 and 2023, he served as a silent movie pianist at the Fondation Jérôme Seydoux-Pathé, performing weekly cine-concerts for silent films from 1895 to 1929. Highlights included the Nuit des Musées (2023), Nuit Blanche (2022), and an original score for a restored film. He accompanied works like The Big Parade (1925) and Le Rayon de la Mort (1925). He also contributed to educational programs, facilitating workshops such as Ateliers Bruitage and participating in family-oriented initiatives like Ciné-Puzzle and Le Petit Cinématographe.

Beyond the Fondation, he performed cine-concerts at venues like the Cinémathèque Française (City Girl, 2022), Cinémathèque de Tours (L’Homme qui rit, 2022), Cine Passeio in Curitiba (Sunrise, 2023), and the Institut Audiovisuel de Monaco (Manolesco, 2024). He further explored film scoring at the Paris Conservatory with Marie-Jeanne Séréro, composing soundtracks for FEMIS and LISAA projects. He collaborated with the Artistic Theatre in Chroniques de Françoise-Sagan, acting and playing piano under Anne-Marie Lazarini. He also studied Musical Dramaturgy with Laurent Cuniot at the École Supérieure d’Art Dramatique de Paris.

As a visual artist, Guilherme presented his solo exhibition L’heure Cerise (2024) at the Gallery of the Artistic Theater in Paris and participated in a collective exhibition with the installation e as Árvores Chovem Depois (2021). This installation expanded into two short films and inspired his first album, Piano Improvisations(2020). His subsequent albums—Piano Improvisations II (2021), Voz(2022), Visions(2023), and Electronic Creatures(2024)—further explore his approach to sound and improvisation, blending musical experimentation with narrative expression and electronic music.

His improvisational practice has been a central pillar of his artistic journey, leading to groundbreaking performances and collaborations. Notable among these are his solo improvisation concerts at the Maison Natale Claude Debussy and his performance at the Polish Library in Paris. At IRCAM’s ManiFeste Festival 2023, Guilherme created Tocatina, an improvisation for voice, flute, and electronics that incorporated artificial intelligence as an improvisational partner. Another significant project, How Could I Forget the Moon?, blended his roles as composer, improviser, and visual artist; he created the video projections and text that formed the conceptual backbone of the performance, which also featured other improvisers and singers during the festival.

Expanding his engagement with digital platforms, he produced the online concert series Geste Fantasque , Geste Capricieux, available on YouTube. These concerts, a culmination of his TEP project at the Paris Conservatory, highlight the idea of cumulative improvisation that coexists to create a narrative line using more than 10 different instruments, the body, and various objects. Additionally, he collaborated with the Philharmonie de Paris – Cité de la Musique and the Paris Conservatory on the short film L’Assassinat, which will premiere in spring 2025, following the same concepts developed during his TEP research.

Guilherme’s foray into electronic and mixed music predates his formal studies in composition, exemplified by the performance of Anhembi at the Paris Conservatory. Written for two Ondes Martenot, prepared piano, and electronics. Piece was created in response to Nathalie Forget and premiered during a livestream concert at the Conservatory. Other electronic works include L’autopsie d’un repli (2023), Três Paisagens Espaciais (2023), Algo (2024), and Raga-Ayahuasca (2025), an experimental piece blending field recordings, invented voices, and synthesized sounds into a spatialized soundscape.

His works have been performed in some of Europe’s most celebrated cultural venues. His orchestral composition Horses Will Dance in Defrosted Rivers One Day (2023), commissioned by flutist Seohyeum Kim, soloist of the Zurich Opera House, was recorded under the direction of Bianca Maretti for the Label INITIAL and is now available on all streaming platforms. Só pensava era nele, a lyrical scene for soprano and ensemble, was brought to life by Clara Barbier and the Ensemble NEXT, conducted by Guillaume Bourgogne and his most recent work for orchestra, Lyfe, was premiered by the CNSMDP Orchestra under Julien Leroy.

Guilherme’s engagement with pedagogy has been a vital component of his career. Since 2024, he has been a member of the Pedagogic Council of the Paris Conservatory and member of the alliance In.Tune as a member of the Governing Board. As the resident composer of the Keatbeck Dance Company, he continues to explore the connections between music, movement in an interdisciplinary collaboration with the Centre Pompidou. He has contributed to educational initiatives that integrate music and technology, developing innovative workshops and performances.

Through his multifaceted career, Guilherme de Almeida continues to expand the boundaries of contemporary music and interdisciplinary art, blending sound, poetry, and image into a singular and transformative artistic language that resonates across disciplines and borders. At the moment, he's studying advanced electronic music with Yan Maresz and Luis Naón and since 2023 he study in the prestigious composition class of Gérard Pesson, further refining his distinctive compositional voice.