Nuntempe Ensamble: New Music for Guitar

From its founding in 2008, the Argentine guitar quartet Nuntempe Ensamble has been entirely devoted to the performance of contemporary music, from established repertoire to new pieces commissioned by or dedicated to them. A crucial and novel aspect of Nuntempe's approach to new music is working collaboratively with composers, which enhances the development of the ensemble's instrumental possibilities.

Nuntempe has been awarded several grants by Argentine and international institutions to support concert performances, new commissions, and collaborations with prestigious Latin American and international composers. The ensemble uses acoustic and electric guitars, often in alternative tunings or with preparations. Also, rather than limiting itself to a specific aesthetic, Nuntempe attempts to address the wide variety of expressions existing in contemporary musical languages and employs multiple technical and technological advances in other fields. This includes use of real-time processing, electronics, and other devices in order to create a holistic concept that integrates music, space, time, and visual effects. 

In 2017, the ensemble presented all-Argentine programs including premieres of commissioned works by José Serrano and Mariano Rocca, and a concert titled “John Cage and beyond,” dedicated to the music of North American composers, featuring works by John Cage, Pauline Oliveros, Michael Winter, Alvin Curran, James Tenney, and Alvin Lucier. In 2018, the ensemble had three consecutive concerts performing three different programs with 22 minimalist pieces for electric and classical guitars at the prestigious Centro de Experimentación del Teatro Colón. They also participated that year in the Distat Terra International Contemporary Music Festival, performing the Argentine premiere of Der Entkommene Orpheus by Nicolaus A. Huber along with quartets by Georg F. Haas, Tomas Gueglio, and Cecilia Pereyra. In 2019, Nuntempe performed the Latin American premiere of Monadologie XXXII by Bernhard Lang. 

During the pandemic Nuntempe released several video performances including works by Reich, Dougherty, Tsurumoto, Taranto, Braun, Serrano, Fagin, and Pelisch, and participated in the video series “Musica in Prossimitá.” 

After the pandemic, the group resumed touring, with concerts in Italy and Chile, including the premiere of a 60-minute commission for electric guitar quartet by Argentine composer Marcos Franciosi. This piece featured real-time processing, lighting designs by French artist Julien Hogert, and recorded recitations from Shakespeare's Sonnets by Chilean theater director Carolina Sagredo.