Rúben Monteiro
Portugal
Ruben Monteiro is a multi-instrumentalist, producer and composer with an unusually eclectic taste in music. His current projects embrace various genres, from prog rock to Mediterranean music, as well as medieval music, folk rock, and fusion.
Having always been connected to stringed instruments, Ruben started his musical education at the Luis António Maldonado Rodrigues School, in Torres Vedras. At first a piano pupil, he later completed the basic conservatory course (5th degree) in classical guitar. Years later, after receiving both bachelor’s and postgraduate degrees in medieval archaeology from the Nova University of Lisbon, he took interest in ancient music and cultures, especially medieval and Middle Eastern music.
In the last years he has been dedicating himself to the study of occidental and oriental modal music. To expand his knowledge of occidental modal music he took classes with the Portuguese electric guitar master Gonçalo Pereira. Regarding oriental modal music, and especially the Turkish kind, he found his learnings through the masterly teachings of both Efrén López and Ross Daly.
Since 2000 Ruben Monteiro released around twelve albums, either as a solo artist or with different bands, and toured throughout many countries, such as Portugal, Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, Malaysia, and India.
The Afghan rubab, the Lavta from Istanbul, the Turkish saz bağlama, the hurdy-gurdy, the bouzouki, and the electric guitar are the most frequent instruments in Ruben Monteiro’s compositions.
Ruben is endorsed by Timber Tones, a famous British plectrum company, and is its main representative in Portugal and Spain. He is also sponsored by the biggest and most prestigious Portuguese stringed instruments brand António Pinto Carvalho (APC Instruments) and by one of the most well-known Istambuli music stores Naturel Müzik – Galata.
Ruben Monteiro presents a concert which relies on his original pieces, composed through his creative approach towards improvisation and composition, within the Iberian, Mediterranean, and Central Asian musical traditions.
The show’s repertoire is unveiled in the shape of a voyage, filled with different ambients, where the main characters are the Afghan rubab, the Turkish saz bağlama, the Istambuli lavta, and the Iberian hurdy-gurdy.
The performance may either be presented as a solo act, exploring the “one-man band” concept, where the musician is, in this case, assisted by a loopstation; or as a trio, accompanied by ethnic percussions and double bass.