Duo Abreu

 Duo Abreu

 

Classical Guitar Magazine exclaims: “The maturity of musicianship and technical virtuosity …is simply outstanding.” in describing the Brasil Guitar Duo, winner of the Concert Artists Guild International Competition.  Equally at home on a Classical or World Music series, the Duo’s innovative programs feature a seamless blend of traditional and Brazilian works, resulting in a global tour schedule and numerous critically acclaimed recordings.

The Brasil Guitar Duo’s 2011-12 US recital tours include the Concert Associations of Anchorage and Fairbanks in Alaska, California’s Lancaster Performing Arts Center and the “Sundays Live” series at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Strathmore Performing Arts Center (MD), University of Wyoming Cultural Center, the Grand Canyon Guitar Society (AZ) and the Chamber Music Society of Little Rock.  This season, the Duo partners with jazz legend Paquito D’Rivera in a special tour program of Latin Music, featuring performances at Atlanta’s Ferst Center for the Arts, Jacksonville’s Beaches Fine Arts Series, Chamber Music Albuquerque and the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix.  International highlights include a recital at the Concertgebouw as well as appearances in Taiwan, Poland and Brazil, and the world premiere of a concerto written for them by Brazilian composer Paolo Bellinati, with the Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo led by Giancarlo Guerrero.

A favorite of summer festivals, the Brasil Guitar Duo recently made its debut at the Aspen Festival, in a special collaborative program with CAG alumnae flutist Marina Piccinini.  Previous summers have included concerts at New York’s River to River Festival, the Grand Teton Music Festival, Chautauqua Institution, Cooperstown Chamber Music Festival, Look and Listen Festival Stowe Summer Music Festival (VT), Lancaster Festival (OH), and abroad, the Bermuda Guitar Festival, Two Moors Festival (UK), Heinsberg Guitar Festival (Germany), Gliwice International Guitar Festival (Poland) and Sao Paulo’s Campos do Jordão International Festival (Brazil). 

In the recording studio, the Brasil Guitar Duo’s debut for the Naxos label features two CDs of the complete works for two guitars by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco.  Just one of many stellar reviews includes the American Record Guide, which said: “It would be hard to imagine a better performance...This is wonderful music played at the highest interpretive level.”  Previously, the Duo’s first CD of all-Brazilian repertoire, Bom Partido, was released in August 2007 on CAG Records and is now in its third printing.  Their latest release features the complete Bach Flute Sonatas with flutist Marina Piccinini (Avie).

Eager advocates for both traditional and new concerti for two guitars and orchestra, the Duo’s recent concerto performances include with the Dallas and Houston Symphony Orchestras, Dayton Philharmonic, Lancaster Symphony (OH) and the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas at Columbia University’s Miller Theatre.

Recent featured New York recital engagements include Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, NY Guitar Seminar at Mannes College, Symphony Space, Baruch College and Joe’s Pub.  In addition, they have performed for the Orange County Performing Arts Center, Lied Center of Kansas, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, University of Chicago, Spivey Hall, Montalvo Center for the Arts, Purdue University Convocations, Daytona Beach International Festival, Virginia Arts Festival, CityFolk Festival in Dayton, OH, the Santa Barbara Symphony’s Guitar Festival and for Miami Guitar Festival and the Asociacion Nacional de Conciertos in Panama City and the Classical Guitar Societies of, St. Louis, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Houston, Tucson and Upstate New York.

The Duo appears frequently in conjunction with CAG’s highly regarded New Music/New Places initiative, performing in diverse non-traditional spaces.  Just some of the venues who have hosted the duo are: BAMcafé and Barbés Bar and Performance Space in Brooklyn; Long Island’s Cinema Arts Centre; and Philadelphia’s World Café Live.  The Brasil Guitar Duo is perfectly suited for these venues, having established a broad repertoire of classical guitar duos combined with the traditional music of its native land (choro samba, maxixe and baião).  

João Luiz and Douglas Lora met in São Paulo as teenage guitar students and have been performing together for more than twelve years, perfecting a sublime synchronicity and effortless performance style. The ensemble’s primary studies were with Henrique Pinto along with Fabio Zanon, Paulo Martelli, Sergio Abreu and Alice Artz.  Douglas Lora earned his Master’s degree at the University of Miami as a student of Dr. Rene Gonzalez.  João Luiz is pursuing his Master’s degree at New York’s Mannes College of Music studying with Michael Newman.

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