Brasil Guitar Duo

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Brasil Guitar Duo João Luiz & Douglas LoraWinner, 2006 Concert Artists Guild International CompetitionClassical Guitar Magazine exclaims: “The maturity of musicianship and technical virtuosity …is simply outstanding.” in describing the Brasil Guitar Duo, winner of the 2006 Concert Artists Guild International Competition. Equally at home on a Classical or a World Music series, the Duo’s innovative programming features a seamless blend of traditional and Brazilian works, resulting in a full global touring schedule and numerous critically acclaimed recordings.Highlights of the Brasil Guitar Duo’s 2009-10 US concerts include the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts’ biennial Ellnora Guitar Festival, University of Chicago, Kansas State University, Spivey Hall at Clayton State University (GA), Black Rock Center for the Performing Arts (MD), Montalvo Center for the Arts & the Morrison Artist Series in San Francisco, as well as Joe’s Pub in New York City. International engagements include Two Moors Festival and Cardiff University in the UK, in addition to concerts in Korea and Brazil.A favorite of summer festivals, the Brasil Guitar Duo has performed at New York’s River to River Festival, the Grand Teton Music Festival, Stowe Summer Music Festival (VT), Lancaster Festival (OH), and abroad, the Bermuda Guitar Festival, the Outreach Festival in Tirol, Austria and Sao Paulo’s Campos do Jordão international Festival. In addition, they performed a special collaborative program with soprano Sarah Wolfson at the Chautauqua Festival and the Cooperstown Chamber Music Festival.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, the first of which was released in 2008 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the composer’s death, and the latest was released in June 2009. 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. That followed its debut CD, João Luiz e Douglas Lora (2000), which has garnered wide critical accl.. “One would be hard put to think of a finer way to enter the world of recorded music” (Classical Guitar). The next project features the complete Bach Flute Sonatas with flutist Marina Piccinini, due for release in 2010.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 recital engagements in New York City include Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York Guitar Seminar at Mannes College, New York Classical Guitar Society and a special concert of works by Tania León at Symphony Space. In addition, they have performed for the Orange County (CA) Performing Arts Center, Lied Center of the University of Kansas, 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, 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; Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs; and Philadelphia’s World Café Live. The Brasil Guitar Duo is perfectly suited for these non-traditional venues, having established a broad repertoire of classical guitar duos (Bach, Sor, Scarlatti, etc.) 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 ten 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 recently completed a Master’s degree at the University of Miami as a student of Dr. Rene Gonzalez. João Luiz is a member of the guitar quartet Quaternaglia. September 2009