Manuel Vilas

Manuel Vilas was born in Santiago de Compostela, where he began studying music. Later he studied ancient harp from the 12th to 18th centuries with Nuria Llopis in Madrid and Mary Galassi in Milan. He has performed with numerous ensembles, for example Les Musiciens du Louvre, Al Ayre Espanol, Capilla Jerónimo de Carrión, Musica mean, Capela de Ministrers, Ely Ensemble, Camerata Iberia, La Hispanoflamenca, La Galanía, Ars Longa, Trull de La Vozes, Orquesta Barroca de Sevilla, Coro Nacional de Espana etc., at the most important festivals in Spain, Germany, USA, Ecuador, Czech Republic, Paraguay, Austria, Portugal, Switzerland, France, Bolivia, Belgium, Argentina, Italy, Chile, the Netherlands, Cuba and other countries.
He also performs as a soloist with programs aimed at Spanish, American and Italian baroque music (concerts in Holland, Chile, Spain, USA and Cuba), gives lectures and teaches courses in different countries. As a soloist, or accompanist he has participated in over 60 recordings with various ensembles at various record companies. He has participated in opera productions in Paris and Vienna (Monteverdi's Coronation of Poppea), Madrid, Geneva and Mexico (La purpura de la Rosa Tomás de Torrejón y Velasco), Munich, Vigo and San Sebastián (Monteverdi's Orfeo), in reintroduction of stage works of Andromeda and Perseus Theatre Corral de Comedia in Almargem and Zarzuela performance Salir el amor del mundo by Sebastian Duron at the Arriaga Theater in Bilbao. He was the first harpist who organized the courses of playing the Spanish baroque harp in the USA and Cuba.
Currently, he focuses on rediscovering the vocal works of Spanish baroque interpreted only with double row crossover harp, as was customary at that time. From this project have arosen four CD recordings so far: music for the Naxos publishing with tunes of Sebastian Duron along with soprano Raquel Andueza, for the Enchiriadis publishing with mezzo-soprano Marta Infante called Tonos Al Arpa,  for the Arsis publishing with soprano Estrella Estévez and recently tones of José Marino for La ma de Guido publishing along with tenor Felix Rienthem.
He is an artistic director of a recording project "100 tonos" from the manuscript Manuscrito Guerra (17th c.), whose studying he dedicated more than ten years. The complete recording of this project will be published by Naxos on 6 compact discs. The first two CDs of this series, performed with soprano Isabel Monar and tenor Juan Sancho, appeared on the market in 2011 and 2012.
Manuel Vilas was invited to the festival in Franders (Belgium) to lead the master class courses of the old Iberian harps, and was an adviser to a project backed by the Valencian Autonomous Government, which dealt with the renewal of tools on the frescoes in the cathedral in Valencia.
In 2008 he founded the ensemble Ars Atlantica, which was presented at the festival Via Stellae (Santiago de Compostela) with modern premiere of cantatas coming from the palace near Venice that owned Contarini family. A recording of the cantatas with mezzo-soprano Marta Infante was awarded the prize in Holland Prelude Classical Music as one of the best albums of early music in 2010.
Manuel Vilas also pioneered the study of certain kinds of harps now completely forgotten, as Chiquitan Jesuit harp (Bolivia, 18th c.), and double-row harp, which circulated Aragonese Kingdom in the 14th century and which he has introduced recently when he played works by Guillaume de Machaut.
One of his specialties are recitals with singers. Among the artists, who he accompanied, are Marta Infante, Guillemette Laurens, Raquel Andueza, Isabel Monar, Juan Sancho, Roberta Invernizzi, Mercedes Hernández, Marivi Blasco, Jose Antonio López, Isabel Álvarez, María del Mar Fernández Doval, Lidia Vinyes Curtis, Francisco Fernández Rueda, Yetzabel Arias, Monica Piccinini and others.
Recently he was invited to represent Spain at the 6th World Harp Festival in Asunción (Paraguay), and he was the first harpist, who gave a recital in this country on a double-row crossover harp.
Highslide JSManuel Vilas was born in Santiago de Compostela, where he began studying music. Later he studied ancient harp from the 12th to 18th centuries with Nuria Llopis in Madrid and Mary Galassi in Milan. He has performed with numerous ensembles, for example Les Musiciens du Louvre, Al Ayre Espanol, Capilla Jerónimo de Carrión, Musica mean, Capela de Ministrers, Ely Ensemble, Camerata Iberia, La Hispanoflamenca, La Galanía, Ars Longa, Trull de La Vozes, Orquesta Barroca de Sevilla, Coro Nacional de Espana etc., at the most important festivals in Spain, Germany, USA, Ecuador, Czech Republic, Paraguay, Austria, Portugal, Switzerland, France, Bolivia, Belgium, Argentina, Italy, Chile, the Netherlands, Cuba and other countries.
He also performs as a soloist with programs aimed at Spanish, American and Italian baroque music (concerts in Holland, Chile, Spain, USA and Cuba), gives lectures and teaches courses in different countries. As a soloist, or accompanist he has participated in over 60 recordings with various ensembles at various record companies. He has participated in opera productions in Paris and Vienna (Monteverdi's Coronation of Poppea), Madrid, Geneva and Mexico (La purpura de la Rosa Tomás de Torrejón y Velasco), Munich, Vigo and San Sebastián (Monteverdi's Orfeo), in reintroduction of stage works of Andromeda and Perseus Theatre Corral de Comedia in Almargem and Zarzuela performance Salir el amor del mundo by Sebastian Duron at the Arriaga Theater in Bilbao. He was the first harpist who organized the courses of playing the Spanish baroque harp in the USA and Cuba.
Currently, he focuses on rediscovering the vocal works of Spanish baroque interpreted only with double row crossover harp, as was customary at that time. From this project have arosen four CD recordings so far: music for the Naxos publishing with tunes of Sebastian Duron along with soprano Raquel Andueza, for the Enchiriadis publishing with mezzo-soprano Marta Infante called Tonos Al Arpa,  for the Arsis publishing with soprano Estrella Estévez and recently tones of José Marino for La ma de Guido publishing along with tenor Felix Rienthem.
He is an artistic director of a recording project "100 tonos" from the manuscript Manuscrito Guerra (17th c.), whose studying he dedicated more than ten years. The complete recording of this project will be published by Naxos on 6 compact discs. The first two CDs of this series, performed with soprano Isabel Monar and tenor Juan Sancho, appeared on the market in 2011 and 2012.
Manuel Vilas was invited to the festival in Franders (Belgium) to lead the master class courses of the old Iberian harps, and was an adviser to a project backed by the Valencian Autonomous Government, which dealt with the renewal of tools on the frescoes in the cathedral in Valencia.
In 2008 he founded the ensemble Ars Atlantica, which was presented at the festival Via Stellae (Santiago de Compostela) with modern premiere of cantatas coming from the palace near Venice that owned Contarini family. A recording of the cantatas with mezzo-soprano Marta Infante was awarded the prize in Holland Prelude Classical Music as one of the best albums of early music in 2010.
Manuel Vilas also pioneered the study of certain kinds of harps now completely forgotten, as Chiquitan Jesuit harp (Bolivia, 18th c.), and double-row harp, which circulated Aragonese Kingdom in the 14th century and which he has introduced recently when he played works by Guillaume de Machaut.
One of his specialties are recitals with singers. Among the artists, who he accompanied, are Marta Infante, Guillemette Laurens, Raquel Andueza, Isabel Monar, Juan Sancho, Roberta Invernizzi, Mercedes Hernández, Marivi Blasco, Jose Antonio López, Isabel Álvarez, María del Mar Fernández Doval, Lidia Vinyes Curtis, Francisco Fernández Rueda, Yetzabel Arias, Monica Piccinini and others.
Recently he was invited to represent Spain at the 6th World Harp Festival in Asunción (Paraguay), and he was the first harpist, who gave a recital in this country on a double-row crossover harp.