Ronaldo Miranda was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1948. He pursued his music studies in that city, at the Music School of the Federal University (UFRJ), working with Henrique Morelenbaum (composition) and Dulce de Saules (piano). His compositional career took off when Trajetória, for soprano and instrumental ensemble, won First Prize at the Second Biennial of Brazilian Contemporary Music in 1977. Since then he has earned a string of awards and accolades, both in Brazil and beyond, including a Golfinho de Ouro (‘Golden Dolphin’, awarded by the Rio de Janeiro State Government; 1981); the APCA Prize (awarded by the São Paulo Association of Art Critics; 1982, 2006, 2013); an appointment as Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from France’s Ministry of Culture (1984); First Prize in the Budapest International Composition Competition (1986); and the Carlos Gomes Prize (2001).
His works have been performed in prestigious venues in Brazil and around the world. Many have been commissioned by leading artists and institutions, from Antonio Meneses and the Erik Westberg Vocal Ensemble to the Brazilian Ministry of Culture, Rio de Janeiro City Hall, the Sala Cecília Meireles (Rio de Janeiro), São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra (OSESP), Rio de Janeiro Museum of Modern Art, Vitae Foundation, Funarte (Brazil’s National Arts Foundation), Bank of Brazil Cultural Centre (CCBB), State of São Paulo Symphonic Wind Band, Camerata Antiqua de Curitiba, Petrobras Symphony Orchestra, Goiás Philharmonic Orchestra, Organisation of American States, Apollon Stiftung and Towson University, among others.
Ronaldo Miranda has also worked as a music critic for the Jornal do Brasil; deputy director of the Funarte National Music Institute; director of the Sala Cecília Meireles; and professor of composition at UFRJ and the University of São Paulo (USP). He is a member of the Brazilian Academy of Music.