Saturday, November 5th - 2011 at 7:00 PM
Suggested Admission: $10 - Profits will be donated to the BEA
Choir Project.
Brazilian Endowment
for the Arts
240 East 52nd Street
New York, New York
10022
Phone: 212 371 1556
Web: www.brazilianendowment.org
BRAZILIAN
ENDOWMENTS FOR THE ARTS is promoting a fundraiser to launch its Choir Project.
The second screening of the documentary “Parece Que Existo” (I Seem to Exist)
about the music of João MacDowell will be the evening’s highlight. The film
premiered last month in NY to a packed house and it will be screened again due
to popular demand.
The
Brazilian Endowment for the Arts, a non-profit organization, dedicated to the
promotion of Brazilian culture in the United States, is launching its newest
community project, the BEA Choir, directed by João MacDowell.
The
choir is open to anyone who wants to sing. A philosophy of inclusion and
community development is at the core of the Choir Project, in the words of
MacDowell: “Everyone can sing. We just need to work more with those who have
less experience. It’s an integrated practice aimed at developing each
individual voice in a group setting.”
While
bringing people from different backgrounds together, this endeavor will offer
an opportunity to share cultural experiences. It emphasizes integration inherent to the Brazilian culture.
The
choir aims to bring together Brazilians, Americans and other immigrants who
have a desire to sing and share Brazilian and American cultures in a community
environment.
The
BEA Choir is a unique project, as it is the first in New York with a repertoire
in Brazilian Portuguese. Another innovative aspect of the choir is MacDowell’s
teaching method with a structured and playful learning environment.
Composer
João MacDowell, director, has developed a specific method for this group. He is integrating Brazilian culture
into international patterns of musical education, while teaching the
peculiarities of Brazilian singing, inspired by the legacy of Villa Lobos,
Suzuky and Tzvetan Kodaly.
The
Choir practice will be divided into two age groups. Parents who are interested to
see their children’s singing are encouraged to join the adult choir. Children
flourish when they are engaged in the same activities as their parents.
There
is no screening test. Anyone willing to be a part of the group will be
admitted. A bigger voice arises when people sing together.
In
order to help fund the project, BEA is inviting its patrons to a second
screening of “Parece Que Existo” (I seem to Exist), a documentary based on
MacDowell’s life and musical career. The film was launched last month at BEA
with high praises from all that attended.
All
interested in music are welcome!
The
BEA Choir Project is a partnership between the Brazilian Endowment of the Arts
and João MacDowell.
About
the Brazilian Endowment for the Arts
The
Brazilian Endowment for the Arts is a cultural center in the heart of New York
City. The BEA was founded in 2006
by the writer Domicio Coutinho who has dedicated his life to Brazilian art and
culture. Since 2005 the BEA has been promoting Brazilian culture, providing
cultural exchange within the US through art expositions, literature
conferences, concerts, theatrical presentations, literary soirees, cinema
exhibitions and a library devoted to Brazilian culture and literature.
About
the film
The
documentary “Parece Que Existo” (I Seem to Exist) is directed by Mario Salimon
and portrays the unique music career of João MacDowell; narrated in Portuguese
with English subtitles. The trailer can viewed at the following link: http://vimeo.com/28024596)
João
MacDowell was an important character in Brasilia’s exciting music scene of the
80s. His first band, TontonMacoute, changed paradigms in Brazilian music
forever. Their signature sound dispensed with a popular drum set and pioneered
the fusion of electronics with native rhythms and ambient sounds. After that,
the artist worked as musician, music producer and soundtrack composer,
releasing four solo albums of popular music before launching his more recent
works in contemporary classical music.
The
film portrays a path that starts with a dream and draws the arc of a career,
spanning from experimental electronic-based music to the maturity of serious
classical composition. Varied footage from concerts and music videos,
interviews with important personalities from the heyday of the Brazilian
capital’s cultural scene, as well as photos and scenes from MacDowell’s
Brazilian opera Tamanduá (The Anteater) illustrate the documentary.
There
is an underlying thread that reinforces the importance of personal effort,
musical literacy and support for serious musical education in the school
system.
About
the director
Mario
Salimon is a Brazilian journalist and musician, with a career spanning 25 years
and covering many professional fields. He started out as assistant to the
iconic documentary director Vladimir Carvalho and went on to work as a reporter
and critic, writing about art, music and cinema. Salimon has also worked as an international
consultant to entities such as UNICEF, UNESCO, IICA and UNDCP. He has written
two books and produced over thirty films, ranging from institutional products
to signature documentaries, such as "Gibués", dealing with
desertification of rural areas in the state of Piauí. Salimon teaches post
graduation courses on organizational communication and strategies for
information and knowledge management systems. He has also been a musician for
more than 25 years, fronting 15 bands in Brasilia. (www.mariosalimon.com)
Artists
available for interviews and press:
joaomacdowell@yahoo.com
mariosalimon@mariosalimon.com
