Ricardo Ferro (he/him)

Composer-Mentor

Ricardo Ferro is a Venezuelan-Canadian New York-based composer, conductor and pianist. His composition style and research interests are largely centered in areas of artificial intelligence for composition and performance, improvisation, and unconventional performance environments. Recently-appointed recipient of the Governor General's Silver medal upon his graduation, he is pursuing a Master’s Degree at The Juilliard School, studying composition with Matthias Pintscher, after having completed his bachelor studies in composition at the University of Toronto. Recent and upcoming engagements include work with the Tonkünstler Orchestra Continuum Contemporary Music, the Bedford Trio, the Atlantic Music Festival Orchestra and Contemporary Ensemble, Orchestra Breva, Younggun Kim, and the University of Toronto Opera. Passionate about contemporary music composition and performance, Ricardo founded Green Room Sound Collective, an organization dedicated to the creation and performance of new multimedia works of music. He has performed as a conductor and pianist with various groups across Canada and the United States. Ricardo has worked with several leading composers across the world, including Martin Bresnick, Philippe Manoury, Reiko Füting, Melinda Wagner, David Ludwig, George Tsontakis, and André Mehmari. Committed to music education and research, Ricardo was the professor of composition studies at Sistema Toronto between 2019-2022, and has worked for the University of Toronto Faculty of Music Theory Department as a guest lecturer and researcher.

FUN FACT: Ricardo loves painting and computer programming in his spare time.