Eargasms

Fernando M. Rivas graduated from the Juilliard School with a Bachelor of Music in Composition. He was introduced at Juilliard by his first composition teacher, Benjamin Lees, received a full scholarship and studied with National Arts Award recipient David Diamond and Vincent Persichetti among others. Mr. Rivas has won the Marion Freschl Prize for Vocal Composition, the Princess Grace Foundation Grant for outstanding original work in musical theater, as well as two Emmys and one Grammy for subsequent work in children’s music.

In 1997, Mr.Rivas and Luis Santeiro, were the recipients of the Richard Rodgers Theater Development Award for the musical-theater piece: Barrio Babies.

In 2004 Mr. Rivas recent compositions and arrangements were heard during the Piccolo Spoleto Spotlight concert series as interpreted by the Chamber Music Society of Charleston and the Charleston Chamber Players. The piece, 7 Perverse Variations for 8 Instruments, was premiered in October by the Chamber Music Society of Charleston.

In 2006 Mr.Rivas was contracted by Disney to compose the underscore for a new children’s series for the Disney Channel entitled Handy Manny. The series about a Hispanic handyman and his talking, singing, mischievous tools is produced by Nelvana, and appears weekly on the Disney Channel since September 16th of 2006.

Mr. Rivas continues to compose commercial and non-commercial music, poetry and fiction as well as to play the piano for concerts, shows and private and public engagements. He has been a member of the Fine Arts staff at the Porter-Gaud School where he conducts the Jazz Ensemble since 2002.