Brazilian Choir and Band To Perform at Westminster September 24
Westminster Choir College of Rider University will welcome the Brazilian choir ContraCantos and Brazilian band Arabiando, conducted by Flávio Gomes Tenório de Medeirosa for a concert in Bristol Chapel Sunday, September 24 at 3 pm.
The performance will feature Brazilian musical selections as well as spirituals and portions from a mass setting by Clóvis Pereira. The repertoire of ContraCantos consists of music by both Brazilian and foreign composers from various periods. ContraCantos gives concerts of native music (musica indigena), maracatus (black Brazilian music), frevo and ciranda (northeast styles) and Musica Popular Brasileira.
The choral ensemble, ContraCantos, was formed in February 2002 at the music department of the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco in Recife, Brazil by Flávio Medeiros, professor of music. Its objective is to create a “new melody” or “countermelody” that blends new and old in world music. It is made up of students from UFPE’s performance program, teachers from the college and alumni. Members often perform in local opera productions and also perform popular and traditional music in the Northeast region. They recently performed UFPE artist-in-resident Paul Basler’s Missa Kenya written for tenor soloist, percussion, horn, piano, and choir.
ContraCantos regularly performs in music festivals and gives recitals in churches, colleges, music schools and theaters; the group also performs with the Recife city orchestra. In 2003, ContraCantos traveled to France to perform music of Northeast Brazil. The choir was invited to return in 2005 to participate in the project, 2005 Year of Brazil in France. ContraContas performed 15 concerts in France and in Geneva, Switzerland and also offered workshops for singers and instrumentalists on Brazilian choral and percussion musical styles.
The popular guitar group, Arabiando, from Northeast Brazil is made up of young musicians who have a passion for choro. Choro is a popular Brazilian musical style rooted in improvisation. Arabiando was founded in 2002, with most musicians attending the Universidade Federal Permambuco at that time. Their mission is to research new sonorities and to spread the music of choro throughout Brazil. The name Arabiando is a tribute to Esmeraldino Sales, composer of the Arabiando choro. Arabiando evokes the great masters of choros, bossa, samba, and frevo. Arabiar means to sing verses and poems, songs and choros. The sound of this group is unique to its members’ backgrounds, blending classical, rock and frevo styles. They are well known for playing frevo, and in their five years of existence they have performed street frevo, blocho frevo and frevo canção. Arabiando performs throughout Northeast Brazil and often accompanies the choral group ContraCantos.
Flávio Medeiros is a professor of music at the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco in Recife. He is a former student of conductor Osman Gioia of Brazil. In the United States he earned a Bachelor of Music degree at Berkshire College in Massachusetts where he studied conducting with Wesley Ross. In 1997, Mr. Medeiros received a Master of Music Education degree from the Brazilian Conservatory of Music in Rio de Janeiro. As the accompanist for the Berkshire Choir he traveled throughout New England and Europe. As accompanist for the Presbyterian Choir he traveled to Korea, China and Japan. He received a certificate in Orff Shulwerk from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. At the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Professor Medeiros teaches courses in music education and is the conductor of the University Chorus and Hand Chime Choir.
Westminster Choir College is located at Hamilton Avenue and Walnut Lane in Princeton. Admission to the concert is $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors. For tickets or to receive Westminster’s 2006-2007 season catalog, call the box office at 609-921-2663.
