Composer Luís Tinoco wins the Pessoa Prize 2024
The Pessoa Prize is the highest distinction in Portugal for the arts.
What?
Portuguese composer Luís Tinoco, 55, has been awarded the 2024 Pessoa Prize, the most prestigious honor recognizing significant contributions to cultural and scientific life in Portugal.
The announcement, made Thursday morning at the Palácio de Seteais in Sintra, marks only the third time in the award’s 38-year history that it has gone to a music professional.
Tinoco joins the ranks of previous recipients in the field, pianist Maria João Pires (1989) and composer Emmanuel Nunes (2000).
The jury, convened by the Portuguese weekly newspaper Expresso, praised Tinoco’s body of work for demonstrating “a solid command of form and instrumentation” and fostering “an affective communication with the audience without ever compromising the rigor of his compositions.”
A Rare Recognition for Music in the Pessoa Prize History
Musicologist Rui Vieira Nery, representing the jury, addressed the rare selection of a musician for the prize.
He noted that the choice of Tinoco arose from a broad consensus among the jurors and was not the result of a deliberate push to highlight music.
Tinoco’s achievements, both in Portugal and internationally, were deemed timely and fitting for the award, which has traditionally favored candidates from the sciences, literature, and other arts.
Tinoco’s prolific career spans opera, theatrical music, chamber and symphonic repertoire, and ballet.
His works have been performed by major orchestras, including the London Philharmonic, Seattle Symphony, and Brazil’s São Paulo Symphony Orchestra, alongside prominent Portuguese ensembles like the Gulbenkian Orchestra and the Portuguese Symphony Orchestra.
A Distinguished Career in Composition and Education
Born in Lisbon in 1969, Tinoco holds a degree from the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa, a master’s from the Royal Academy of Music in the UK, and a Ph.D. from the University of York.
His recent works include Canções do Sonhador Solitário, Before Spring, Frisland, O Sotaque Azul das Águas, Concerto para Violoncelo, Alepo, and Dreaming of the Unseen. Earlier this year, he premiered Out of Order, a composition for two pianos performed by Mário Laginha and Pedro Burmester, and a second cello concerto.
A standout piece in Tinoco’s repertoire is his collaboration with the late Monty Python member Terry Jones on Evil Machines, a theatrical fantasy that debuted in 2008.
Tinoco also contributes to music education as a professor at the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa and through numerous workshops in Portugal and abroad.
As the artistic director of the RDP Young Musicians Prize, he has fostered new generations of performers across Portugal.
Tinoco’s Reaction and Legacy
In remarks to the press, Tinoco expressed surprise and gratitude for the recognition. “This is an enormous vote of confidence,” he said.
“It makes me immensely happy, not only personally but also for the field of classical and erudite music in which I work.”
He acknowledged that music has been underrepresented in the Pessoa Prize's history, hoping his win will spotlight Portuguese musicians and invigorate the field.
The announcement comes a day before the premiere of a new composition for two pianos by Tinoco, to be performed at Lisbon’s Coliseu dos Recreios. Looking ahead, the composer revealed plans to focus on two major projects in 2025.
About the Pessoa Prize
Established in 1987 and named after the renowned Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa, the Pessoa Prize recognizes individuals who have made exceptional contributions to Portugal’s cultural and scientific heritage.
The 2024 prize carries a monetary award of €70,000, reflecting an increase from previous years.
The award is supported by a partnership between Expresso and Caixa Geral de Depósitos, recently renewed through 2026.