LIHUEN SIRVENT

BIO

María Lihuen Sirvent is an Argentinian composer and flutist currently based in Buffalo, New York.

As a composer, she has participated in prestigious music festivals such as June in Buffalo (USA), Impuls (Austria), SoundSCAPE (Italy), and Barcelona Modern (Spain), among others. Her compositions have been featured in these international settings, where she has had the opportunity to collaborate with leading musicians and showcase her work internationally.

Beyond her compositional activities, she has also contributed to the music festival community in various organizational roles. She has served as a concert producer for the Charlotte New Music Festival (USA), a lecturer at the Tomás Lefever Festival (Chile), and a flutist at ECI La Plata (Argentina).

An active performer, she has been a flutist in a range of ensembles, including “Ensemble Arsis” (specializing in baroque music), “Samba no Pe” (a Brazilian fusion group), “El Enjambre,” and “The Academic Complex” (both new music ensembles). Her performances span diverse musical genres.

She is also deeply involved in music theory research. Since 2013, she has worked as a research assistant at the National University of La Plata under Dr. Edgardo Rodríguez, collaborating with a team on a project focused on the poetics of Latin American composers from the 1960s onwards. This research aims to deepen the understanding of the musical language and cultural contexts of Latin American composers after the operation of the Di Tella Institute in Buenos Aires.

 In recent years, she has been working on music with live electronics that generate interactions between sound and light (including video) employing feedback systems. This path includes the development and combination of different technologies (both digital and analog), as well as the rationale of the artistic practice and its communicative possibilities when visual elements are at play.

contact: lihsirvent@gmail.com

CV

– PhD in Music Composition (ABD), University at Buffalo (SUNY), graduation: Fall 2025.

             Studied with David Felder, Tiffany Skidmore, and Ming Tsao.

– Master of Music in Composition, UNC Greensboro. Graduated: May 2020.

             Studied with Alejandro Rutty, Mark Engebretson, and Lisa Bielawa.

– Licenciatura en Música, orientación Composición, FDA-UNLP (Facultad de Artes, Universidad Nacional de La Plata). Graduated: 2018.

6 years of post-secondary studies, comparable to BM and MM studies in Music Composition.

             Studied with Carlos Mastropietro, Cecilia Villanueva, and Mariano Etkin.

– Profesorado en Música, orientación en Composición, FDA-UNLP. Graduated: 2014.

            6 years of post-secondary studies, equivalent to a Bachelor of Music in Education degree.

  • At UB:
    – Instructor of Record, Rock Music (Summer 2023, Summer 2024).
    – Instructor of Record, Composition Seminar (Fall 2023, Spring 2024). Syllabus design, classroom instruction, grading, and evaluation.
    – Instructor of Record, Electronic Music I and II (Fall 2022, Winter 2023, Spring 2023). Syllabus design, classroom instruction, grading, and evaluation.
    – Instructor of Record, Genres of Music: Latin American Rock (Summer 2022).  Syllabus design, online instruction, grading, and evaluation.
    – Teaching Assistant, Aural Skills Lab (Fall 2021, Spring 2022).
    – Grader, Music and Money and Understanding Music (Spring 2021). Classroom and private instruction. Supervisor: Jonathan Golove.
  • At UNCG:
    – Teaching Assistant, Composition Skills (Fall 2019, Spring 2020). Classroom and private instruction. Supervisor: Mark Engebretson.
    – Teaching Assistant, Ear Training (Fall 2018, Spring 2018). Classroom and private instruction. Supervisor: Adam Ricci.
    – Graduate Assistant, Music Composition (Fall 2018 through Spring 2020). Organizing student concerts, tech support, and managing social media.  Supervisors: Mark Engebretson and Alejandro Rutty.
    – Graduate Assistant, Orchestration (Fall 2019). Organizing reading sessions, helping with feedback and proofreading arrangements by the students. Supervisor: Alejandro Rutty.
    – Graduate Assistant, Fundamentals of Music (Fall 2019). Grading and tutoring. Supervisor: Karen Messina.
  • At FDA-UNLP:
    – Ayudante Adscripta (akin to T.A.), Lenguajes Musicales Contemporáneos I y II (akin to Post Tonal Theory and Musical Analysis) (2013/15). Classroom instruction, research, organizing and providing access to bibliography (including translation) and study guides. Supervisor: Edgardo Rodríguez.
  • Other teaching positions:
    – Music Theory and Aural Skills teacher of the Children’s Choir of San Vicente and the Junior School Orchestra of La Carolina. Classroom instruction, educational field trips coordinator, conductor’s substitute, team-work collaboration and coordination with teachers from other areas of the orchestra (instrument teachers, administrative staff, parents’ group).
    – Music teacher in elementary schools and high schools from August 2012 through June 2018. Classroom instruction to kids from 4 to 18 years old. Institutions: ESB n54, EP n1, EP n25, EES n53, EES n54, EETS 5, Colegio Primario Padre Castañeda.
  • Producer of “Argentina/US Exchange Concerts” The project included live-streaming concerts in both institutions promoting music by composers from UNCG and FDA-UNLP. (2019). With this initiative, composers from Argentina would get international premieres of their work in the United States with a recording of the performance to build their portfolios. Four composers from UNCG travelled to Argentina to attend in person to the concert featuring their music.
  • Teacher at Adult Day Center “Centro de Día Amanecer.” (2015/2016). Weekly Music Workshops for elderly, and physically or mentally disabled people.
  • Arranger at the project “From the Barrio to the Concert Hall: Hey Mozart of the Americas” (2010). Project coordinated by the OAS (Organization of American States): orchestral arrangements of two melodies composed by children from the school-orchestras in different Latin American countries. The arrangements of their melodies were recorded by the Gate City Camerata and premiered by a youth orchestra in Washington DC. Children with the selected melodies travelled from South America to Washington for the premiered of their orchestrated music.
  • Arranger for the project “Hey Mozart!” Greensboro Symphonic Orchestra. (2019/20). Orchestral arrangement of melody composed by children from the Greensboro Primary Schools System and premiered in concert by the Greensboro Symphonic Orchestra.
  • Music Technology Support at UB (2024).

Concert sound and live video recording and multi-camera live online streaming, classroom technology setting, audio documentation of lectures and other academic events. Supervisor: Christopher Jacobs. 

  • “SoundSCAPE” Bobbio, Italy (2022).

Work study: concert audio and video recording and editing. Supervisor: Denis Martin.

  • “Charlotte New Music Festival” (2020).

Production manager and technology support: audio/video editing of music performances, multiplatform live streaming of events, concert producer.

  • “Jewish Triangle Chorale” (2020).

Technology support and remote assistant for senior singers with home sound and video self-recording with minimal technology available. Video/sound editing for online streamed concerts during lockdown.

  • “Das Mädchen mit den Schwefelhölzern” by Helmut Lachenmann at the Teatro Colón conducted by Baldur Bronnimann. (2014).

Internal video operator.

  • New Music on the Point Latin American Scholarship (2024).
  • Morris Scholarship Funds to attend to an international music festival in Italy (2022).
  • UNCG, Graduate School Office: Greensboro Graduate Scholar Award (2018/20).
  • Black Dot Press Call for Scores: original score publication. (2019).
  • UNCG School of Music: Financial help with the expenses of four composers to participate in the “Argentina/US Exchange Concert.” (2019).
  • Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores y Culto de la República Argentina: financial help to attend to the “Ninth Nordic Saxophone Festival” at Det Jyske Musikkonservatorium in Aarhus, Denmark. (2017)
  • Universidad de Valparaíso, Chile: stipend and full expenses cover to lecture and perform at the “IV Conferencia Tomás Lefever.” (2014).
  • “New Music on the Point” Vermont (2024). Participating composer.
  • “Barcelona Modern” Spain (2023). Participating composer. 
  • “Impuls” Graz, Austria (2023). Composer.
  • “SoundSCAPE” Bobbio, Italy (2022). Participating composer, work study: sound and video recording.
  • “June in Buffalo”. Participating composer (2021).
  • “Hypercube Composition Lab”. Guest composer and intern (2020). 
  • “Charlotte New Music Festival”. Production manager and technology support (2020).
  • “Argentina/US Exchange Concerts” The project includes live-streaming concerts in both countries promoting music by young composers from UNCG and FDA-UNLP. Artistic director (2019). 
  • “Ninth Nordic Saxophone Festival” at Det Jyske Musikkonservatorium in Aarhus, Denmark. Guest composer (2017).
  • “Infinita es la Historia de la Arena” by Dance Group of the FDA-UNLP “Aula20.” Guest composer and performer (2015).
  • Theater play “Cachafaz es la flor del hombre” directed by Alicia Durán. Composer and performer (2012). 
  • Theater play “La Fiesta de Casamiento” directed by Natalia Maldini. Performer (2013). 
  • Dance Project “DANZAFUERA” organized by all dance groups of La Plata city. Guest musician, composer and performer (2014).
  • Orchestral Conduction Graduation Recital, Conductor Ismael Gutiérrez. Guest composer (2017).
  • Research Assistant:
    – The Di Tella Institute in the Argentine and Latin American music scene of the second half of the 20th century. Directed by Edgardo Rodríguez. Sponsored by SCyT FDA-UNLP (2017/21).
    – Music Concert Rooms in Argentina. Musical use of Acoustic Space. Directed by Gustavo Basso. Sponsored by SCyT FDA-UNLP (2014/16). 
  • Lecturer:
    – “The Craft of Composing: between theory and practice” at Conservatorio Astor Piazzolla in Buenos Aires City and Facultad de Artes, in La Plata (2022).
    – 7th and 8th Jornadas de Investigación en Disciplinas Artísticas y Proyectuales JIDAP (2014 and 2016).
    – Masterclass about Music Writing in the 20th Century Latinamerican Music at the IV Conferencia Tomás Lefever. Universidad de Valparaíso, Chile (2014).
    – aCcion and Ceibo, 2nd course in composition. Presentation about Collaboration Between Music Ensembles and Composers. Organized by Luca Belcastro at the Cultural Center of Spain in Buenos Aires (2010).
  • Mark Diamond Scholarship Fund Grant reviewer (2022 and 2023).
  • Jury member for the Beo String Quartet Composition Competition (2020).
  • Software/Apps:
    – Score engraving: Sibelius, Finale, and MuseScore.
    – DAW: Reaper, Logic, Audition, Ableton.
    – Visual Programming Languages: Max/MSP/Jitter.
    – Adobe Package: Photoshop, Audition. 
    – Video editing: Filmora 9. DaVinci Resolve.
    – Coding: Arduino IDE (basic).
    – Web design: WordPress, Elementor (and basic HTML).  
  • Hardware:
    – A/V Connections (digital and analog).
    – Analog electronics.
    – Live video streaming (through OBS). 
    – DMX connections for lighting fixtures. 
    – Arduino, ESP32.
  • Concert tech assistance:
    – Live music recording.
    – Field recording.
    – Live electronic process assistance.
  • Music miscelaneous:
    – “Your Neighborhood Orchestra.”     Video edition and concert streaming (2020). 
  • Copyist:
    –     Orchestral Score of “Entelequias” by Pablo Rubino (2015). Notate manuscripts of a large orchestral piece to Sibelius. The job included non-traditional writing. 
    – Musical examples for Doctoral Dissertation “El estilo musical de Charly García desde 1972 hasta 1996” by Diego Madoery (2016). Graphics on notation software from excerpts given by the author. The job included aural transcription of most of the excerpts. 
  • English
  • Spanish
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