ULBRA Chamber Orchestra
History
The ULBRA Chamber Orchestra was founded in July of 1996, with the intention of adding itself to the initiatives of the university in the culture areas and community programs. Since then, the Orchestra has developed several projects: Season Concerts, Music on Campuses and presentations in cultural events. Its main goal is to keep the excellence of execution of high level musical finishing. Because of its excellent work, the specialized criticism has been considered it one of the best chamber orchestras of Brazil.
In the series Season Concerts, that are accomplished monthly, the Orchestra has already counted on the participation of soloists of international fame as the double bass Michinori Bunya (Germany/Japan), the flautist Felix Renggli (Swiss), the clarinetist Gary Dranch (USA), the trumpet player André Henry (France), the violinist Lavard Skou-Larsen (Austria), the violists Eduardo Castañera and Daniel Wolff, the cello player Romain Garrioud (France), the oboist Luis Carlos Justi (RJ), the pianist Ney Fialkow and the violinist Cármelo de los Santos, the pianist Alexandre Dossin (Brasil/USA), the violinist François Sochard (France), the composer and instrumentalist Egberto Gismonti (Brazil), the double tenor Paulo Mestre (Brazil), the harpsichordists Marcelo Fagerlande, Rosana Lanzelotte and Marcos Holler (Brazil) among others.
The repertoire of the ULBRA Chamber Orchestra has the main works of erudite music composed for string instruments, that include the baroque and contemporary periods. Some of them are highlights: The Four Seasons by Vivaldi and the Serenatas for Strings by Tchaikovsky and Dvorák, and also the most important sacred works as Passion According to Saint John and the Christmas Oratory by Bach, the Messiah by Haendel and Requiem by Mozart.
The Latin American and Brazilian music are also important part of this orchestra, and they are reason of frequent research and inclusion of new works or launching of new composers in its programming. The group is responsible for the premiere of several original works and arrangements specially composed for it. It is also distinguished the performance of this ensemble in the tangos by Astor Piazzolla, as Las Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas, Melancólico Buenos Aires and María of Buenos Aires.
Regarding projects of diversification and divulgence of orchestral music, the group has shown itself with Edu Lobo, Nei Lisboa, Renato Borghetti, Neto Fagundes, Vitor Ramil, Kleiton & Kledir, Yamandú Costa , Frank Solari, Nenhum de Nós, Papas da Língua, Hique Gomes, Bebeto Alves, Jerônimo Jardim, Gaúcho da Fronteira, Ernesto Fagundes, Banda Ultramen, Adriana Deffenti and Pedro Veríssimo, besides performing countless shows around the country of Rio Grande do Sul.
The series Music on Campuses consists of concerts that are turned to university students, with a lighter approach and didactic content.
In a recent tour along Argentina a local newspaper called La Nación has made a criticism extremely positive highlighing that the orchestra "has reached an excellence level in the service of classic repertoire and immense musical literature of the brother country (Brazil)", and synthesizes: "Our opinion: excellent".
The ULBRA Chamber Orchestra annually accomplishes 30 concerts, in several events in our state, attracting more than 30 thousand people. In March of 2006 its CD was rewarded with the Açorianos Trophy of the best interpreter of instrumental music.