Antonio Portanet was born in 1953 in Ayamonte, Spain. Since 1970, he has lived and worked in Lisbon, New York, La Paz (Bolivia) and Paris. He currently divides his time between Lisbon and Berlin.
He began his musical journey in the seventies in Portugal as a singer-songwriter committed to the "Revolução dos Cravos" (the 25 Abril 1974 Portuguese revolution), playing concerts in Lisbon and touring the country.
In 1977 he published his first album "Muertes" with the DECCA record label.
In the eighties he lived in New York. In 1983 his second LP "Noche de cuatro Lunas" was released, an anthological album of his compositions based on poems of contemporary Spanish poets (EMI).
He is invited to New Mexico to present this work with maestro Sabicas as part of a concert sponsored by the "Spanish Institute for Performing Arts" in the city of Santa Fe. Apart from his touring, he receives commissions to choreograph several theatre productions.
At the end of the eighties he moves to Bolivia and collaborates with several advertising, television and film companies as a copywriter and composer. In 1992 his musical creation for the soundtrack of the Chilean film "Los niños de septiembre" directed by Sergio Marras, garners an award at the Havana Film Festival.
In the early nineties he moves to Paris and continues his career as a poet, singer-songwriter and composer. He publishes "Son de negros en Cuba" by Federico García Lorca as part of an anthology discography titled "Lo mejor del nuevo Flamenco" and "Flamenco Patrimonio de la Humanidad".
In 2005 he writes the booklet for the Paris premiere of the opera "El Alma de Martín Fierro" by Argentine composer Gerardo Di Giusto.
In 2006 he participates as an actor and musician in the play of García Lorca "La comedia sin título", by Michael Batz.
In 2007 he scores the music for the play "Lorca, coeur de femme" by Enrique Fiestas and Rosa Ruiz, which premiered in Paris at the Théâtre du Nord-Ouest.
In March 2014 he performs at the commemorative concert "Cantar Grândola 40 Years Later" at Coliseu dos Recreios in Lisbon.
In October 2014 he gave a concert at the Portuguese Society of Authors (SPA), and he invited as special guests Pedro Caldeira Cabral, Vitorino Salomé, Carlos Gutkin, Kent Queener, Norton Daiello and Rui Alves.
In October 2015 he participates in the concert "Tribute to Federico García Lorca" held in the "Ateneo Literario" in Madrid.
In September 2016 he presents the concert "Lorca 80 Aniversario" at "Festa do Avante” on the 1º de Maio Stage accompanied by Pedro Jóia, Norton Daiello, Vicky Marques and David Leão.
In November 2016 he performs "Eternamente Lorca" at the Haydée Piñero Buck Auditorium of the Metropolitan University of San Juan in Puerto Rico, accompanied by Pedro Jóia, Norton Daiello, Vicky Marques and David Leão.
In April 2017 he presented a concert in the honor of Lorca at the "Teatro Municipal de Almada", accompanied by Pedro Jóia, Norton Daiello, Vicky Marques and David Leão.
In April 2017 he does a concert in honor of Lorca at the "Teatro Municipal de Almada", accompanied by Pedro Jóia, Norton Daiello, Vicky Marques and David Leão.
In August 2017 he performs "Eternamente Lorca" in Praça do Giraldo in Évora accompanied by Pedro Jóia, Norton Daiello, Vicky Marques and David Leão.
On October 1985 he held the world premiere of "Poeta en Nueva York": his musical adaptation of Federico García Lorca poems at the NY Public Library. It established him as musical authority on the great Spanish poet.
In 1997 he participates with Elena Rostropovich in the concert celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Maestro Rostropovich at the Theatre of the Champs Élysées in Paris.
Composes a series of original poems for the musical work of the famed Argentine guitarist and composer Jorge Cardoso.
At his studio in Paris, he records 250 works by the prestigious classical guitarist Francis Kleynjans.
