JOSEFINA PUNCELES DE BENEDETTI

Venezuelan composer, born in New Haven, Conn., U.S.A. in 1953. She studied piano both in Caracas and London. Majored in Coral Conducting (1.991) at the Instituto Universitario de Estudios Musicales, IUDEM, and in Composition (1.994), at the Juan José Landaeta Conservatory of Music, both in Caracas, Venezuela.

As a composer she has won several competitions: “Premio Nacional de Composición”, (National Composition award), Venezuela with “Canción de cuna”, in 1.989, “Requiem for a century”, in 1.993 and “Macuro”, in 1.998; "Premio Municipal de Música de la Ciudad de Caracas", (City of Caracas Composition award) with “Palabreo” in 1990, and “Premio de Composición Fundación José Antonio y Carmen Calcaño" (José Antonio and Carmen Calcaño composition award) with “Guatopo” in 1.993. Her works have been played by several orchestras, chamber ensembles, choirs and soloists in Venezuela, U.S.A., Cuba, Ecuador, Uruguay, Argentina and France, where some are placed in the National Library. Several of them have been recorded under the label “Música y Tiempo”, which she co-founded in 1.996, as well as by independent producers.

She has presided two musical organizations in Caracas: “Jeunesse Musical” (1.991-96) and the Philarmonic Orchestra Foundation (1.995-2.000). She has been in the board of Directors of the Venezuelan Society of Contemporary Music (SYMC) and the Teresa Carreño Theater, as well as Secretary of the Venezuelan Music Council, (UNESCO), all in Caracas. She was the Cultural Director of the Universidad Central de Venezuela in Caracas between 2.000 and 2.005. .