Simões Da Hora

Portuguese organist, producer and recording supervisor for classical releases.

Joaquim Simões da Hora (1941-1996) stood out in the last quarter of the 20th century as the greatest Portuguese performer of Iberian Early Music for organ. In this respect his qualities as a performer came to be known in various European countries and even in the United States of America. Working within the ‘new’ Early Music current that arose in the second half of the 20th century, he was one of a generation of performers whose interpretations were founded on the use of historical techniques andinstruments, such as Jordi Savall, Ton Koopman and José Luís Uriol. His performances were recorded in four albums, which demonstrate his considerable capacities as a performer.
Joaquim Simões da Hora’s professional activity also extended to the domain of pedagogy, in which he reformed the organ class of the Conservatório Nacional, where he taught between 1977 and 1995.
In addition to his activities as performer and teacher, throughout his career he was deeply involved in publicising the heritage of Portuguese music, especially in relation to the organ, as well as in producing and providing musical supervision of many of the sound recordings of classical music published in Portugal in the last three decades of the 20th century.
Joaquim Simões da Hora left this world in April 1996. He remains, however, as one of the great organists of recent history. His legacy is felt in the impetus he gave to awakening the interest of young performers of Early Music for organ, in his sound recordings and in his promotion of musical life in Portugal in relation to the organ from the mid 90s onwards, through the systematic creation of music festivals for organ.

in HORA, Tiago Manuel da (2010). "Joaquim Simões da Hora: Intérprete, Pedagog e Divulgador", Universidade Nova de Lisboa (UNL-FCSH), Master Degree Thesis.