Manel Frau-Cortes'

                             Biography

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Born in the Mediterranean island of Mallorca in 1965, Manel Frau-Cortes is an alumnus of Ciutat de Mallorca’s Professional Conservatory, where he studied piano, music theory, classical harmony and counterpoint with Joan Moll, Esther Vives, Bernat Julià and Josep Prohens, among others. At the same time, Manel studied jazz piano with Tito Capblanquet, as well as guitar and saxophone with private tutors.

 

After moving to Barcelona, Frau-Cortes attended Taller de Músics a contemporary music school where he studied jazz piano, harmony and arrangements with Toni-Olaf Sabater, Lluís Pardellans, Victor Vergés and Zé Eduardo. Interested in music-therapy and the exploration of the holistic effects of sound, he has participated in numerous mini-courses and master classes taught by Ann Wilken, Guillermo Cazenave and Josep Laporta.

 

Manel taught music theory, piano improvisation and harmony at several music schools: Adagio, Rock’n’Jazz and Allegretto in Barcelona; and at Bela Bartok Academy in Mallorca. Currently he’s tutoring guitar at Gratz College.

 

Manel’s musical career as a composer, arranger, producer and performer is extensive and covers a variety of styles, from folk to gospel, jazz-fusion to New Age. To mention a few, he was part of Caliu, a duet with Francesca Patiño; Circumstancial, Tradivarius, Café Soul, Orquestra Malpàs, Trio del Pol Magnètic and Esplendor Barroco (with clarinetist Rafel Adrover). As a producer and arranger he has worked for Caliu, Marcos Vidal, Chango and Ruth Sales. He has composed soundtracks for several short films, like Drop Plot (1993), as well as music for theatre plays, such as Memòria d’en Julià, by Iguana Teatre and Una Noche Contigo by Haché de Teatro. Manel Frau-Cortes also has a large experience translating and adapting song lyrics, having worked on this field for Producciones de la Raiz (Barcelona).

 

Since 1999, Manel Frau-Cortes takes to stage his own compositions for keyboards, in a very personal style that has been defined as Ethnic-Roots New Age.  Together with Israeli singer Avi Benchamo, he has offered a series of creative poetic-musical performances, broadcasted by Mallorca’s local televisions.

 

After moving to the US in 2001, Manel is composing choir and chamber music, and performing as an accompanist for instrumentalists and singers such as Brian Goldberg, Uri Shomer and Freyda Black. A published translator and music scholar with a master degree in Hebrew Philology by Central University of Barcelona, he is currently enrolled in Gratz College’s Cantorial program – master in Jewish music.  See the writings section of this website.

 

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