Thoma Simaku

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Dr. Thoma Simaku (born 1958), is an Albanian composer.

Simaku's first study of composition was at the Tirana Conservatoire between 1978-82 under Tonin Harapi. From there, he moved to England to study for a PhD in composition with David Blake at the University of York, which he was awarded in 1996.

[edit] Prizes and Awards

Notable prizes and awards that Simaku has won include:

The much coveted Lionel Robbins Memorial Scholarship in 1993, being the only candidate from the UK to win that year.
The 1996 Leonard Bernstein Fellowship in Composition at Tanglewood Music Centre in the USA with Bernard Rands.
Fellowship at the Composers’ Workshop at California State University in 1998 with Brian Ferneyhough.
A highly prestigious Fellowship from the Arts & Humanities Research Council in London in 2000.

Simaku's music has been performed throughout the UK and Europe, as well as in North America, Australia and the Far East. In 1995 his work "Epitaph" for String Orchestra was selected by the International Jury for the ISCM World Music Days in Germany - the first ever Albanian music to be included in this prestigious festival. Subsequently Simaku's works have been selected by the International Jury at the World Music Days of 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005.

Other international festivals where his music has been performed include Zagreb-Biennale, Tanglewood, Avignon, Miami, Cagliari, KlangSpectrum (Austria), Viitassari (Finland), Innsbruck (Austria), Odense (Denmark), Manchester, York, Birmingham, Automne de Tirana amongst others.

Broadcasts of his music include those by Radio-France, BBC-World Service, Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Austrian, Polish, Croatian, Danish, Swedish, Romanian, Swiss and Icelandic radio stations.

Performances of his works include, among others, those given by the Arditti Quartet, English Northern Philharmonia, Slovenian Radio-Television Orchestra, European Union Chamber Orchestra, Amsterdam New Music Ensemble, the New London Orchestra, Goldberg Ensemble, Tokyo Phonosphere Musicale, London's Kreutzer Quartet, Polish Radio Chamber Orchestra, Rubinstein Quartet, Copenhagen Sinfonietta, Luxembourg Sinfonietta, Romanian Radio Chamber Orchestra, Capricorn Ensemble, Norwegian Medieval Trio, Tyrolean Ensemble of New Music (TICOM), The Duke String Quartet, Tirana Asmus Ensemble.

His solo works have been performed by the internationally acclaimed soloists such as Peter Sheppard Skaerved, Ian Pace, Vania Lecuit and Laura Willcox.

Simaku's music is published in England by University of York Music Press and Emerson Edition. In 2000 he was granted British Citizenship and now lives in York with his wife and two daughters. Winner of the 2004 Serocki International Prize, Simaku is currently a Leverhulme Fellow in Composition at the University of York.