Saúl Chapela is a galician composer and pianist born in Moaña in 1988. He is trained at Superior Conservatory of Music of Vigo, where he studies among others with Nicasio Gradaille, Pablo Galdo, Carlos Cambeiro and Juan Eiras. Then, he specializes in composition with a master’s degree at the University of Music and Performing Arts of Munich with Jan Müller-Wieland and Hans-Jürgen von Bose.
He wins the first international prize “Boston GuitarFest Composition Competition, 2012” for his work Catarsis for guitar and the first prize “Composition Competition Manuel Quiroga, 2013” for Follas Vellas for violin and string orchestra. Some of his works are played in Italy, Germany, Finland, Spain, Switzerland and USA.
He writes commissioned works for musicians with international projection like Aleksi Rajala (Las Seis Cuerdas), Kostas Amaxopoulos (Nocturnos), Emerson Salazar (Toneshift) and Juan Ignacio Rueda (Treludios). He also writes musical arrangements for Mayeusis Conservatory, Valença City Hall and Abmiram Quartet.
As pianist, he is awarded at “Piano Competition Real Club Náutico de Vigo” and “V Music Excellence Awards Mans Futuro”, thanks to which he records a CD with repertoire classics and his own works.
Nowadays he combines teaching, as professor at Music Conservatory Pontevedra, with his work as independent musician.