Lluís

Lluís Benejam Agell
Barcelona , 27 July 1914
Birmingham, Alabama , 28 March 1968
Composer and Performer

Biography

Composer, violinist and teacher

He studied music at the Conservatori del Liceu: violin under Fernando Guerín, and harmony and composition with Barberà, Massana, Lamote and Bosom. He was a renowned violin soloist and was part of Orquestra Municipal de Barcelona and that of Liceu. In 1942, he founded the Quartet de Corda de Barcelona. In 1952 he moved to Quito, where he founded the Cuarteto Nacional Ecuatoriano and the National Symphony Orchestra. In addition, he was professor of the conservatory of the same city and was involved in music divulgation activities. In 1959 he moved to Birmingham (Alabama), where he joined the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. There, he also obtained his PhD and was appointed professor of the Alabama College, Montevallo University and the Brevard Music Center. Among his output, he composed music for string ensembles and other chamber music (such as Poema, 1953, for string orchestra), as well as symphonic music and songs for piano and voice. His personal collection is held at the music library of the University of Montevallo, which was named after him.