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Tag: Mario Cunha

Mario Cunha

And Mozart Went to…11!

By: Jason Camelio, Director of International Programs

Mozart would have been impressed by the rendition of Eine kleine Nachtmusik blazing through the row of Fender amplifiers lined across the stage at the Lawrence and Alma Berk Recital Hall this afternoon. Eight exceptional Brazilian guitarist picking, hammering-on, pulling-off, swelling with their volume knobs whilst the conductor who could have passed for a rhythm guitarist for Crimson Glory waived in arms to keep time and cue the various passages screaming forth.

SL Gtr Orchestra

Ciro Visconti leads the Conservatorio Souza LIma Guitar Orchestra at Berklee.

The eight musicians are students from our Berklee International Network (BIN) partner Conservatorio Souza Lima in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The gentlemen getting the workout at the podium is Berklee alum and Souza Lima faculty member Ciro Visconti. The group is the Souza Lima Guitar Orchestra and they have been visiting Berklee this week as part of a student exchange program managed by the Office of International Programs. The Orchestra joins a group from Music Academy International (MAI), another BIN partner from Nancy, France. Six students from MAI are also visiting the colleague as part of an exchange.  They are led by Berklee alum and head sound engineer at Euro Disney Marc Sublet.

As part of the visit this year, we worked with Tim-Paul Weiner in the Concert Office to set up a performance opportunity for the Guitar Orchestra. The Orchestra uses the string orchestra model as a basis for rendering orchestral repertoire with electric guitars…through stomp boxes, through tube amplifiers. Loudly, but with finesse. This afternoon, we were treated to a concert dedicated to a reigning champ in the world of the string orchestra — Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

The orchestra presented the Divertimento’s in D Major, Bb Major and F Major and closed out the set with Serenade No. 13 in G Major — A Little Night Music. The crush-endos of eight guitars through amps is definitely something you should and will feel if you have the opportunity to hear a group like this perform. The exceptionally challenging music was performed mostly from memory by excellent guitarist that have had to adapt their technique and even their instruments they use to perform the pieces.

Huge thanks to Ciro and the students for their fine performance and to Mario and Cris Cunha at Souza Lima for sponsoring their groups trip to Boston for a memorable event.

CLAEM (Sao Paulo) in Image and Sound

The 2012 Congreso Latino de Escuelas de Música wrapped up a week ago. Throughout the week, photographer Victor Kobayashi was diligently at work.  He is a musician too.  But, he has some amazing chops with a camera as well.  Take a moment to check this out.  The pictures are of artists, faculty members and students that participated in the congress.  The music is by an exceptional pianist/accordionist/composer Guilherme Ribeiro.

Link to video.

2012 CLAEM – Closing Celebration

By: Jason Camelio, Director of International Programs

The 3rd edition of the Congreso Latino de Escuelas de Música has closed with a truly special event. 2012 marks the 30th anniversary of Conservatorio Souza Lima. Founder/director Antonio Mario Cunha capped the Congress week with an excellent celebration honoring Souza lima at the Sao Paulo municipal building, attended by hundreds of guests and officiated by Councilman Jose Police Neto.  Read more…

Souza Lima holds a special relationship with Berklee through our International Network. During this 12-year relationship, Berklee has been fortunate to have a number of highly trained musicians come to Boston through our academic agreement and musical exchanges. Many of these musicians have returned to Sao Paulo and Brazil as well as traveled to other parts of the globe to lead successful careers as professional artists and educators with international reputations.

2012 Souza Lima 30th Anniversary

Vice president for global initiatives honors Mario and Souza Lima in Sao Paulo.

Like Berklee, Souza Lima’s success is the result of one man’s vision with the help and support of an exceptionally hardworking team of collaborators, staff members and educators, and most importantly — the passion and dedication of its students. It is Antonio Mario’s entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to excellence in contemporary music education that attracted Berklee to forge this relationship. Mario’s vision and commitment have led Souza Lima to 30-years of success and places among the leading institute of contemporary music education in Latin America and the world.

Mario is never one to rest on his success. Instead he has the vision to see the profound potential of contemporary music education throughout Latin America. With the help of world-renown artist and Berklee professor Oscar Stagnaro, he has invited us all here to participate in an excellent new organization – CLAEM.

Berklee is honored to be associated with Souza Lima and all of the members of CLAEM. We wish Mario and all at Souza Lima a happy birthday and much prosperity for the next 30-years.

2012 Souza Lima 30th Anniversary Celebration

2012 Souza Lima 30th Anniversary Celebration

Update from CLAEM – Students and Faculty Take the Stage

By: Jason Camelio, Director of International Programs

We have had a fantastic week at the 3er Congreso Latino de Escuelas de Música at Conservatorio Souza Lima in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Throughout the week institutions and organizations from around Latin America have held sessions sharing information about their programs and discussing opportunities for a broad range of collaborations. But, the Congress has also been established to use this time to share important cultural, musical and pedagogical information and concepts.

During these presentations, attendees have been treated to a number of world-class artist/educators representing a variety of traditions from the Brazilian music culture. This included performances by Filo Machado, Pedro Ramos, Paulo Braga and many more. Souza Lima also took the group of institutions to important musical and cultural sites in Sao Paulo, including Bar Ódoborogodó and Memorial de América Latina.

2012 CLAEM Paulo Braga

2012 CLAEM Paulo Braga

One of the highlights this week has been hearing the excellent work being done by the students representing the institutions at the Congress. Students from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Panama and Peru formed three music groups that performed last night at Souza Lima. The students demonstrated a high level of skill and musicianship, having only 3-days to put together short sets of music to be performed. Their fine performances are a testament to their exceptional hard work and the dedication of the institution leaders and faculty members of the CLAEM partners.

Tonight we wrap things up with a celebration for Souza Lima, which is entering it’s 30th year!  More news to come.

2012 CLAEM Student Concert

2012 CLAEM Student Concert

Congress in Sao Paulo

2012 Congreso Latino de Escuelas de Música

III CLAEM

By: Jason Camelio, Director of International Programs

The Berklee International Network (BIN) partner Conservatorio Souza Lima in Sao Paulo, Brazil has much to celebrate. Souza Lima is celebrating its 30th anniversary. This institution, which boasts a number of exceptional Berklee alumni among its faculty members such as vice director Lupa Santiago, is seen as a leader of contemporary music education in Brazil and throughout Latin America.

It is this highly regarded status that has attracted contemporary music educators to flock to Sao Paulo for the 3rd annual Congreso Latino Americano De Escuelas De Musica. The Congress is the brain-child of Antonio Mario Cunha, founder and director of Souza Lima and artist and Berklee professor Oscar Stagnaro. CLAEM aims to create, through Congress, a network of institutions to allow the exchange of academic information, educational and administrative concepts. The group will seek to create opportunities for its faculty members and students to benefit through through a variety of exchanges and events, thus contributing to the formation of a Latin music community. 

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