Born in Manises (L'Horta Nord-Valencia-Spain) in 1972.
STUDIES
- Electric guitar and modern harmony with José Godofredo and Xavier Morant (1989-1992).
- Electric guitar with Jorge Lario (1993-1994).
- Northern India music theory with Ajoy Chakrabakti, Krishna Mohan Batt and Chitresh Das (Course "Manuel de Falla", Granada, 1997).
- Sitar and Northern India music theory with Sazed Ul Alam (1998-2002).
- Several stays on the island of Crete and Thessaloniki (Greece) from 2001 up to the date, studying baglama (long neck Turkish lute) with Ross Daly and Laouto (lute from Crete) with Antonis Frangadakis.
- Rabab and theory of rag (Afghan modal system) with Daud Khan Sadozai (2003-2009) and Ustad Mohammed Rahim Khushnawaz (2004).
- Several stays in Istanbul (Turkey) since 2000 to present day studying with the virtuous players of oud (classical Arabic and Turkish lute) Necati Çelik and Yurdal Tokcan.
- Stays in Istanbul (Turkey) from 2000 until today studying baglama (Popular Turkish lute) with Mehmet Erenler (classic style) and Erol Parlak (selpe style, compilation of different techniques used in similar instruments in central Asia).
- Seminar on Ottoman music at Makam Hane center (Vienna, Austria) with Necati Çelik (oud), Ahmet Erdogdular (vocals) and Omer Erdogdular and Neyazi Sahin (ney), 2006.
- Auditor to the training sessions of the Turkish Radio and Television Orchestra (TRT) as a student of virtuoso Necati Çelik (2006).
- Baglama course at Labyrinth center (Crete / Greece) with Erdal Erzincan (2009).
- Hurdy-Gurdy in seminars with Maurizzio Martinotti (1999), Nigel Eaton (2000) and Pascal Lefeuvre (2003).
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE AS ARTIST, COMPOSER AND PRODUCER
TRADITIONAL AND ROOTS MUSIC
- L'Ham de Foc (1998-2007) Music created from traditional Mediterranean, medieval and Middle Eastern elements. Founder, composer, arranger, producer and sound engineer.
Three CDs released:
"U" (Sonifolk-1999)
"Cançó de Dona i Home" (Sonifolk-2002)
"Cor de Porc” (Galileo MC-2005).
Concerts in Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Austria, Luxembourg, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Norway, Greece, Malta and China. Several awards (Canal Nou, German Critics award, Lluna award, Enderrock magazine award, Altaveu Frontera award). Also, "Cançó de Dona i Home" and "Cor de Porc" cds were for months at the top of the World Music Chart Europe, voted on by journalists from major European radio stations. Collaborations with the bands: Petros Tambouris Ensemble (Greece), Estampie (Germany), and Ross Daly (Greece).
- Miquel Gil (1997-2003) Valencian singer songwriter. Production, composition and recording of 2 of his cds: "Buscando Tu Olor" (Seminola, 1998) and "Orgànic" (Sonifolk, 2002). Concerts in Spain.
- Aman Aman (2003-2007) Founder member, composer, arranger, producer and sound engineer. Draft field investigation in Thessaloniki (Greece) and Istanbul (Turkey) on the music the Sephardic Jews diaspora to the Ottoman Empire. Valencian, Greek and Moroccan musicians took part and, that was reflected in the CD "Music i Cants dels Jueus Sefardites d'Orient i Occident" (Galileo-MC, 2006). Concerts in Spain, Portugal and Germany.
- Maria del Mar Bonet (2009) Majorcan singer songwriter. Concert in Thessaloniki (Greece) Dimitra festival.
- Sabir (2003-2010) Founding member. Compositions from elements, present in the modal traditions of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Iberian Peninsula, together with Greek guitarist Spyros Kaniaris and Valencian percussionist Diego López. Discography: "Fones" (desktop publishing, 2003) Concerts in Spain.
- Lídia Pujol (2008) Arranging the show "Llibre Vermell" in the church of Santa Maria del Mar (Barcelona), with the Arab Orchestra of Barcelona, Dani Espasa, Xavi Lozano, Miriam Encinas and other musicians.
- Agredolç (1998-2009) Project with dolçaina (Valencian folk shawn) player Eduard Navarro and percussionist Dídac Palau. Concerts in Valencia.
- Tzane Trio (2008-2009) Trio of female voices (Sandrine Monlezun, Hacer Turuk and Xanthoula Dakovanou) devoted to the Balkan polyphony.
Concerts in France and Catalonia.
- Alm (2009-2010) Instrumental band with the dolçainas of Pau and Laia Puig and Abel Garcia's hurdy-gurdy, exploring modal ways for dolçaina, performing a repertoire made up of self composed, contemporary and traditional parts from different places. Concerts in Valencia and Catalonia.
- 7 Luas Orkestra (2009-2010) Folk orchestra whose musicians are recuited by "7 sois 7 luas festival". Its members come from the countries participating in their action network (Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece and Croatia). Recording of the live album "7Lúas Orkestra Live in Alentejo".Concerts in Spain, Portugal, Italy, Croatia, France and Brazil.
- Other collaborations: El Cau del Llop, Malagüero, La Beniterrània, Cendraires, Paco Muñoz, Aljub, Pep Gimeno "Botifarra", David Cervera.
EARLY MUSIC
- Capella de Ministrers (1999-2009)
Medieval and Renaissance music.
Recording of CD's:
“Trobadors” (2000)
“Llibre Vermell” (2002)
“Cancionero de Palacio” (2003)
“Lamento de Tristano” (2004)
“Misteri d'Elx, La Vespra” (2005)
“Misteri d'Elx, La Festa” (2005)
“Música Angèlica” (2007)
“Amors e Cansó” (2008)
“El Jardí Perdut” (2008)
“Ad Honorem Virginis” (2008)
Concerts in Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia, Croatia and Greece. Collaborations with the Choir of the Generalitat Valenciana.
- Oni Wytars i Ensemble Unicorn (2005-2009)
Early Music German band. Concerts in Spain and Germany. CD recording: “Mediterraneum” (Sony Classics, 2010) with Ross Daly, Kelly Thoma,
Luigi Lai, Carlo Rizzo and Efren Lopez as guests and a repertoire based on Early Music of the villages around the Mediterranean.
- Al-Andalus Project (2006-2007)
Collaboration of L'Ham de Foc, the German Early Music band Estampie and Moroccan musicians Aziz Samsaoui (kanun) and Iman Kandousi (voice).
CD recording: “Deus et Diabolus” (Galileo-MC, 2007), as a performer, arranger, producer and composer. Concerts in Germany, Austria, Netherlands and Poland.
- Evo (2008-2010)
Medieval music. Founding member and director. Concerts in Spain with the programmes “Motz e So” (music by troubadours) and “Istampitta” (instrumental dances).
- Ex Silentio (2008-2010)
Greek-Austrian band of Early Music. Concerts in Greece with the programme “L'Autumno nel Medievo”.
- Maria Laffitte i Joi de Trobar (2003-2008)
Medieval music. Recording of the CD “Joi de Trobar” (desktop publishing, 2007) with the band Oni Wytars (Austria/Italy/Germany) as guests. Concerts in Catalonia, Andalusia, Navarre and Italy.
GREEK MUSIC
During his periods in Greece, he has collaborated with the following formations:
- Ross Daly & Labyrinth Modal Ensemble (2008-2009)
Conducted by Ross Daly, Irish musician living in Crete, with compositions by all its members from modal systems. Eight musicians coming from Greece, Valencia, Iran and Israel: Kelly Thoma, Stelios Petrakis, Ross Daly, Periklis Papapetropoulos, Siamak Aghaei, Pedram Khavar Zamini, Efren Lopez and Zohar Fresco. Concerts in Catalunya, Crete, Lefkada and Athens.
- Kelly Thoma (2009-2010)
Recording and mixing of her CD “Anamkhara” (Seistron, 2010).
- Stelios Petrakis (2008-2010)
Composer, performer of Cretan lyra and instrument maker. Recording of the CD “Orion” (Seistron, 2008). New cd with Stelios Petrakis and Iranian percussionist Bijan Chemirani in preparation.
- Yeden (2007-2010)
Greek band with self composed numbers and Balkan, Greek, Turkish & Persian influences. Concerts in Greece and Germany. Discography: “Yeden” (desktop publishing, 2010).
- Vassilis Stavrakakis (2009)
Singer of traditional Cretan music. Collaboration in the CD “Fos kai Skotidi” (Seistron, 2009).
- Evdusin (2006-2007)
Music based on classical Greek poetry with traditional instruments. Concerts in Thessaloniki and Athens.
- Maria Thoidou (2006-2008)
Greek singer songwriter. Concerts a Tessalònica, Atenes, Volos i altres ciutats gregues.
- Dravides (2006-2008)
Cretan Music. Concerts in Heraklion, Rethymno, Chania and other cities of Crete and mainland Greece.
ORIENTAL MUSIC
- Saba (2008-2010)
Band with musicians from Armenia and Iran. Concerts in Spain.
- Daud Khan Ensemble (2006-2010)
Afghan music with rabab (traditional Afghan lute) virtuoso Daud Khan Sadozai. Concerts in Spain and Portugal.
- Siamak Aghaei & Pedram Khavar Zamini (2008)
Iranian virtuosos of santur (hammered zither) and tombak (percussion). Recordings in Crete (Greece).
POP/ROCK/JAZZ MUSIC
- Chambao (2007)
Flamenco & electronic music fusion band. Arrangements for the release of their song “Déjate llevar”, used for the tourism TV spot for Andalucía region. Studio collaboration in their CD & DVD "Con otro aire" (Sony, 2007).
- Presuntos Implicados (2005)
Recording as a session musician on their album “Postales” (2005).
- La Banda del Pepo (2007-2009)
Producer, arranger, performer of string instruments and sound engineer in their album “Tanto por hacer” (Galileo-MC, 2008). Concerts in Spain.
- Soledad Giménez (2009)
Recording as a session musician on her CD “Dos gardenias” (2009).
- Luigi Cinque (2005-2009)
Italian composer, saxophonist and clarinetist. Jazz and world music. Live DVD Recording “Alentejo Story” (2006), with the Portuguese choir Os Ganhoes, Sardinian singer Elena Ledda and Andalusian dancer El Choro. Concerts in Spain, Portugal and Italy.
- Other collaborations
Seguridad Social, Girasoules, Ciudad Jardín, La Caramba, Armando Manzanero.
THEATRE/DANCE/AUDIOVISUAL
- Lamento di tristano (2004)
Dance performance choreographed by Toni Aparici, audiovisuals by Bigas Luna and live Medieval Music by Capella de Ministrers. Performances in Spain, premiered at the Medieval Festival of Elx.
- Cancionero de Palacio (2003)
Dance performance under the direction of Alex Rigola & live music of the Capella de Ministrers. Premiered at the Castell de Peralada Festival.
- Amán (2009)
Music and dance show with the musical direction of Joan Cerveró and choreography by Patrick de Bana, with the Symphony Orchestra of Valencia, Ballet Teatres de la Generalitat and the Orfeón Navarro Reverter. Premiere at the Roman Theatre of Sagunt within "Sagunt a escena" festival.
- Jaume I, amic i amat (2008-2009)
Play directed by Juanjo Prats with music by Efren Lopez and Dani Espasa. It premiered at the Medieval Elx Festival and was given the 2008 Eduard Escalante award for best original script.
- Tirant i Carmesina (2004)
Music by Efren Lopez for this show of street theater group "Visitants". The Recording took place halfway between Valencia and Thessaloniki to Valencian and Greek musicians.
- Malaventura (2000)
Music for this shortfilm, an initiative of animation by director Felipe G. Rodero from the show "Malaventura" by the Buffo Theatre. The cinematographic language is the work of the puppeteer Empar Claramunt, with her show. "Malaventura", based on a tale by Italo Calvino, won several awards in San Sebastian, Quart de Poblet and special mention in Vitoria and Valladolid.
- Linakatam (2006)
Emilio Garrido (from the program “La bañera de Ulises” - RN3) was the musical advisor of this series of documentaries about the cultures of the Mediterranean and shown at the second channel of the national Spanish TV (TVE, La 2). The music chosen was that of L'Ham de Foc.
- València, Estambul, Tesalònica, Kabul (2008)
Documentary made by the team of Mapasonor about one of Efren's travels, visiting musicians and luthiers in Greece and Turkey. The film has an educational purpose and also raises funds to support humanitarian projects that the same association operates in countries in conflict.
- Advertising (1998-2008)
Recording of string and percussion traditional instruments for radio and tv spots, advertising Famosa, Bancaja and Tourism of Andalusia.
He has recorded or performed for tv channels TVE-2, TV3, Canal 33, Canal 9, National TV of Puerto Rico, Croatian National Television. On the radio: RNE-Radio 3, DeustchlandFunk. He has participated in festivals of Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Greece, Malta, Croatia, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Austria, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Puerto Rico and China, among which we emphasize: Festival de Saint Chartier (France), Festival de Peralada (Spain), Festival Los Veranos de la Villa (Madrid), Popkomm Festival (Berlin), Origano Festival (Austria), Womex Festival (Seville), Alicante Early Music Festival, Música, Història i Art Festival (Valencia), Murcia Tres Culturas Festival, Inauguration of the Cervantes Institute of Beijing (Xina), Toledo Festival Tres Culturas, La Mar de Músicas Festival (Cartagena), Etnosur Festival (Alcalá la Real, Jaén), Commemoration of the 700th Anniversary of the death of Jaume I (Poblet), Festival de Música Antigua de Baeza, Gothik Wave Festival in Leipzig (Germany), Dimitra Festival (Thessaloniki, Greece), Palau de la Música de Valencia
Alamar Festival (Almería), Festival Castillo de Aínsa, Renaissance Festival of Rethymno (Crete/Greece), Telemark Festival (Bø/Norway), Villa Jazz Festival Celimontana (Rome/Italy), Fokfest! Festival (Rudolstadt/Germany), Les Voix du Monde Festival (Normandy/France).
RESEARCH
- Reproduction of the instruments of the Cathedral of Valencia (2005)
Capella de Ministrers Project for the reconstruction of 12 medieval instruments from the frescoes found by chance in the Cathedral of Valencia. Efren participated during the reconstruction and then recording of the CD “Música Angèlica” (2007) as a consultant and lute player next to the Greek luthier Dimitris Rapakousios.
- Study on Sephardic music (2004-2008)
Research on the current state of Sephardic music in the Jewish communities of Sephardic origin in Thessaloniki and Istanbul. This work resulted in the material used for the recording of the CD by Aman Aman “Música i Cants dels Jueus Sefardites d'Orient i Occident” (Galileo-MC, 2006).
- Design for the reconstruction of medieval instruments (2009)
Design, together with the luthier Asier de Benito Guío of 3 of the instruments appearing in the manuscript of the "Cantigas de Santa Maria” of Alfonso X the Wise and other medieval iconographic sources: citole, bass citole and baldosa.
- Translations of texts of musical themes (2002-2010)
From Greek into Spanish and Catalan "I Mousiki Tropi Stin Anatolikí Mesogiou" ('The Musical Modes in the Eastern Mediterranean') by M. Mavroidi, and from English into Spanish and Catalan "Makam, Modal Practice in Turkish Art Music" by the musicologist Karl L. Signell.
TEACHING AND PEDAGOGICAL ACTIVITIES
- Col·lectiu Alfàndech (2005)
Association created by Efren to organize workshops on traditional instruments (Hurdy-gurdy, ud and baglama).
- Seminars at Labyrinth Music Workshop (2006-2009)
Seminars in music composition and arranging of modal music at the prestigious center created on the island of Crete by Ross Daly.
- Seminars at the Mousiko Horio (Music Village) (2007-2008)
Seminars on medieval music in this summer center of Pilion (Central Greece).
- Didactic Concerts (2002-2010)
In Galicia, Almería, Valencia, dedicated to medieval and oriental modal music.
- Instrument Exhibition (2001-2009)
Exhibitions from the private collection of Efren in Jaén, Almería, Xativa, Meliana and other places.
- Music Recording courses for INEM (1999-2001)
Sound courses for the young unemployed at AC Studios in Valencia.
- Tutoring, private lessons (1993-2010)
He has taught electric guitar in the music school at Quart Poblet, rabab in Thessaloniki (Greece) and baglama, rabab, ud and hurdy-gurdy in Valencia & Girona.
SOUND ENGINEERING
He worked from1995 to 2005 as a freelance sound engineer in AC and Millennia studios (Valencia), both in musical production Presuntos Implicados, Rosana, Seguridad Social, Joan Cervero, Amores Grup de percussió, Baroque Orchestra of Valencia) and dubbing (Canal 9, Canal Sur, TVE).
INSTRUMENTS
- Tanpura
Indian lute to do drones
- Sarod
Fretless classical Indian lute with metallic fretboard
- Tanbur
Afghan long-necked lute, the ancestor of the sitar
- Rabab
Afghan National lute with skin soundboard and sympathetic strings
- Azeri Tar
Azerbaijan national Lute with skin soundboard
- Bağlama
Turkish Lute, different sizes, long neck and double and triple metal strings
- Kopuz
Lute present in different traditions of Central Asia and played with the fingers
- Bulgarí
Long-necked small Cretan lute
- Ottoman Tanbur
Long-necked lute used in Turkish classical Ottoman music
- Oud
Turkish classical lute
- Lavta
Semiclassical Greek and Turkish lute
- Cretan Laouto
Large lute from the island of Crete, with metal strings
- Plucked Psaltery
European Medieval psaltery, with double strings, played with a pair of plectrums
- Bowed Psaltery
Northern European folk psaltery played with bow
- Swarmandal
Zither to accompany, freely, the singing in Indian classical music
- Langeleik
Norwegian zither with tuning fork that is played with a plectrum
- Trompa Marina
European medieval bow instrument that is played by harmonics
- Hurdy-Gurdy
Mechanical bowed medieval instrument bowed
- Medieval Lute
European fretted lute
- Guitern
Small Medieval pear-shaped lute
- Cittern
Medieval European lute with a long neck
- Citole
Guitar, reproduction of a medieval instrument
- Gothic Harp
Diatonic harp,reproduction of medieval models
- Nafir
Medieval natural trumpet, of Muslim origin
- Hammered Psaltery
Trapezoidal zither played with a pair of light wooden hammers
- Çümbüs
Family of Turkish popular lutes with leather or plastic soundboard
- Tzouras
Greek popular lute of rebetika music
- Baglamas
Small Greek folk lute of rebetika music
- Charango
Andean music small guitar
- Guitarró
Small Valencian folk guitar
- Cavaquinho
Small Portuguese stringed instrument of the European guitar family
- Bandurria
Small lute for serenade, plectrum plucked chordophone
- Arxillaüt
The largest instrument of the family of the lutes of serenade
- Fretlees Guitar
Classical guitar modified to play microtonal music
- E-Fretlees Guitar
Electric version of the previous instrument
