Andrea Portera (*December 16, 1973, in Grosseto, Italy) is an Italian composer.

With a catalog of over 160 titles, Portera’s work explores the sound universe in an anthropological perspective, particularly in the connections that music generates between emotion and the unconscious: an extremely original production where the creative process is expressed through an “intuitive” identity even before being “stylistic”. His works have received acclaim and recognition from great names on the international music scene: has been awarded by figures such as Berio, Penderecki, Lindberg, Kalevi Aho, Noseda, Rhim, Morricone, Fedele, Meyer, Nishimura, Corghi, Bussotti, Solbiati, Halfter, Vacchi, Sciarrino, Abbado, Osokawa, Dall’Ongaro, Luis De Pablo. Portera received the prestigious Uuno Klami, one of the most important international composition awards in the world, as well as the first Prize at the 4th Uuno Klami International Competition (Finland), at the II ° International Competition “Arturo Duo Vital” (Botin Foundation, Santander, Spain) and at the International Competition “Wilde Lieder Marx.Music (BCMG-Birmingham).

His works have been performed by prestigious orchestras, in particular: Tokyo Philharmonic, Rai Symphony Orchestra, Bbc Philarmonic, Kymi Sinfonietta, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Symphonic Orchestra of the Slovak Radio, National Orchestra of Estonia, National Orchestra of Greece, Regional Orchestra Toscana (ORT), SPCO Chamber Orchestra in Minnesota, the “Pomeriggi Musicali” in Milan, Vivaldi Orchestra, Fiorentina Chamber Orchestra etc. and important chamber music groups, including the extraordinary Arditti Quartet and INDACO Quartet, Dedalo Ensemble, Stresa Festival Ensemble, the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, the Soloists of Zagreb, Ensemble Altrevoci, Mdi Ensemble, Laboratorium Ensemble, Nuovo Contrappunto Ensemble, ContempoArte Ensemble, Quartetto Academy, Gaudeamus Ensemble, Ensemble “2 August”, Sentieri Selvaggi, GAMO, Ned Ensemble, Quartetto Ascanio, etc.

His works have been directed by Noseda, Sollima, Rustioni, Passerini, Kawka, Iwamura, Gazon, Logiadis, Carrasco, Peleggi, Boccadoro, Montanari, Guttman, etc. Among the great performers who performed his music we remember the soprano Valentina Coladonato, the pianist Andrea Lucchesini, Dillon, Bollani, Attademo.

Andrea Portera’s works are commissioned by important theaters and festivals, including the 57th Venice Biennale, the Stresa Festival (2009 and 2012), the 62nd Santander International Festival, the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Foundation, the 32nd Season of the Orchestra della Toscana, Suoni Riflessi, Composium 2007 Tokyo Opera City, Rebus at the Dal Verme Theater, ITU MIAM-Center for Advanced Studies in music in Istanbul, Antalya Piano Festival, etc.

In 2008 the Academy “Scuola di Musica di Fiesole” dedicated to Portera the monographic event Musica e Cultura, previously dedicated to figures such as Kurtág, Berio, Sciarrino, Fedele, Vacchi, Bussotti, Andriessen.

For the theater he has composed music for the writer-writer Stefano Massini in productions with Sandro Lombardo, Michele Placido, Ottavia Piccolo. In addition, he had Milena Vukotic and Maddalena Crippa as acting voices in his music.The Teatro della Pergola has commissioned Portera four musical theater events inspired by Pascoli, Gozzano, Palazzeschi and Campana, inaugurating a new synergy between poetry theater and opera.

He is regularly invited to juries in international competitions (Arturo Duo Vital International, Carella International, Luigi Nono competition, Call For Scores International, Music for Peace for the visit of the Dalai Lama in Italy, Morricone Awards, Florence International Choir Competition etc. ) and as a teacher of masterclasses in composition (European Academy of the Quartet, Opificio Artes, Conservatory of Geneva, University of Architecture of Genoa, Academy of Italian Youth Orchestra, Superior Conservatory of Lyon etc.).

Portera carries out an intense didactic activity at the Music School of Fiesole, where he teaches composition at the three-year university and promotes the work of many young talented composers, who are followed in the academic path and introduced to the professional world, above all through the composition competition “Veretti”, designed by the same.He is a member of the Artistic Committee of the “Scuola di Musica di Fiesole”.

Andrea Portera is head of Research & Development PERLART, the section of PER Lab (Psychology, Emotions & Research Laboratory – University of Florence spin-off in partnership with the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence) which deals with emotional intelligence, art and creativity. Portera is a promoter of the Emotional Intelligence Renaissance Cultural Manifesto (EIR). His works have been published by Suvini Zerboni, RaiTrade, Eurarte, Bucchi Prize, Le Monnier, Guido DʻArezzo Foundation, Hudobne Centrum Slovakia, Botin Foundation and Ema Vinci Edizioni. He is also the author of the manual Contesti Musicali (Mondadori & Le Monnier) for secondary schools.