Mapping Brazil - Classical Music: Orchestras and the Concert Season

Brazil’s concert calendar is still mostly dependent on orchestras. With seasons that normally run from May to December, orchestras are the biggest promoters of classical music in the country. The leading orchestra is still the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra (OSESP), a benchmark against which all other Brazilian orchestras are measured, not only for its novel management model as a social organisation (a partnership between the government and organised civil society), but also for its budget, which even exceeds that of many big European and American orchestras. OSESP holds weekly concerts throughout the year at Sala São Paulo, providing 30 different programmes, always with renowned conductors and international soloists. The Minas Gerais Philharmonic, now housed at Sala Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, and the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra, also appearing at Rio de Janeiro’s new concert venue, Cidade das Artes, are two of the other leading orchestras in the country. Both put on a good quality line-up of concerts with a mixture of Brazilian and international attractions. Some other orchestras also have a year-long programme of concerts, including the Petrobras Symphony Orchestra, the Porto Alegre Symphony Orchestra, the Goiás Philharmonic Orchestra, the Mato Grosso State Orchestra, the Paraíba Symphony Orchestra and the Espírito Santo State Symphony Orchestra.

As explained earlier, most of these orchestras’ artistic planning is done by their artistic directors or principal conductors, with little or no involvement of the musicians or committees formed of representatives. Generally speaking, their repertoire is limited to music from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It is almost unheard of for these orchestras to play works by young composers or even to work with young conductors. Some of the orchestras listed above also put on chamber music concerts, mostly of ensembles formed from the ranks of the orchestra. Although such efforts are incipient, this new offer of chamber works is very important for educating and attracting new audiences and spreading knowledge of classical music in the country. These chamber music initiatives still have much room to grow, and in the future they could be instrumental in setting up effective relationships between musicians, orchestras and their communities.

Some chamber music series are starting to be produced in Brazil, especially as a result of the enterprising work of musicians and small event producers. Concerts in several towns in the country, often presenting chamber works for the first time to their public, are creating new opportunities for spreading classical music to a younger audience. This kind of cultural project benefits from the ease of holding these concerts in less formal spaces that already have a regular influx of visitors. We should note that most of Brazil’s towns and cities suffer from a dearth of concert halls and other live music venues. For many, this is a significant obstacle for performers to hold their concerts. But if the lack of traditional concert venues is really a problem, it can also be seen as an opportunity for musicians to think outside the box and put on performances in unexpected, unusual venues so their music can be heard by all.

The Municipal Theatre of São Paulo continues to be the leading venue for operatic performances. Each year it normally holds seven or eight different productions featuring Brazilian soloists and a handful of guest singers from abroad. All the operas are performed with the Municipal Symphony Orchestra, which also holds an annual series of orchestral concerts. The Municipal Theatre also plays host to other ensembles, like Quarteto da Cidade (São Paulo City String Quartet) and Orquestra Experimental de Repertório (Experimental Repertoire Orchestra). The theatre is now also managed by a social organisation, which has sparked a number of changes internally. It has inaugurated a season of chamber music concerts at Sala do Conservatório, its new concert hall in Praça das Artes, which includes several contemporary music concerts. Meanwhile, Theatro São Pedro, also in São Paulo, has in recent years held some seasons of smaller operatic productions, while also putting on a regular programme of recitals. It has also started its own chamber music series, which showcases young talents in different ensembles keen to investigate less traditional artistic avenues. The auditorium of the São Paulo Modern Art Museum (Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo) also plays host to a series of chamber music concerts in partnership with cultural institutions and event producers based in the city. However, the number of concerts per month is still very low.

Two festivals of opera feature in Brazil’s cultural calendar, but both are facing financial difficulties. The first is the Amazonas Opera Festival, the 16^th of which, set to be held in 2015, is mired in uncertainty. The Theatro da Paz Opera Festival in Belém, capital of the Amazonian state of Pará, is another important event in the operatic year. Last year was the 13^th of this festival, but the line-up for 2015 has yet to be announced.

The main Brazilian institutions that hold and produce annual series of classical music concerts, both orchestral and chamber, are: Sociedade de Cultura Artística, which in 2013 brought the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra to Sala São Paulo under Mariss Jansons; Mozarteum Brasileiro, also in São Paulo; and Dell’Arte, in Rio de Janeiro. Their prestigious musical series are funded by patrons, subscribers and, most importantly, by tax relief mechanisms legislated by different laws.

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