The project Diálogos Musicais Ibero-Americanos (Ibero-American Musical Dialogues), carried out by the ABM (Associação de Bandolins da Madeira / Madeira Mandolin Association), of Portugal, and the Instituto Moinho Cultural Sul-Americano, of Brazil, is holding, next Saturday (4/30), a masterclass in the afternoon, and a concert starting at 8:30pm. Both activities are online and free.
The masterclass “O bandolim e a sua música em contexto europeu” (“The mandolin and its music in a European context”) will be given by the Portuguese musician Norberto Cruz, from Funchal (Madeira Island). The activity will run from 2pm to 4pm, and to actively take part in the meeting in the Zoom room, participants must register at the link: https://forms.gle/UUzWHCXNyS3oYdSd8
In the evening, Norberto Cruz and Jorge Vidal present a pre-recorded concert. The performance will run from 8:30pm to 9:30pm. Both the masterclass and the concert can be followed on the social media of ABM and Moinho Cultural. The project runs until June, with weekly activities, always on Saturdays.
The initiative seeks cultural closeness between Europe and the Americas, and, for that, has been offering knowledge in the field of music through masterclasses, conferences and concerts. The project has the support of backers such as: República Portuguesa (Portuguese Republic), DGArtes, the Regional Government of Madeira, the Regional Secretariat of Tourism and Culture, the Regional Secretariat of Education, Science and Technology, República Portuguesa – Culture, Instituto Camões – Institute for Cooperation and the Portuguese Language, Funarte and Ibermúsicas. The Portal das Artes and Ligra are partners.
Norberto Cruz and Jorge Vidal
The duo Norberto Cruz (mandolin) and Jorge Vidal (piano) bring an approach to the original repertoire written for this pairing by classical authors such as Calace, Munier, Schumann and Beethoven, bringing to life the musical poetry of the era, thus giving the audience a unique experience in the sonority of these two instruments.
Norberto Cruz is an established and recognized performer in international mandolin, having appeared as a soloist in Portugal, Italy, Estonia, Bulgaria, Spain, Brazil and Austria, where he collaborated with important cultural venues/entities such as the Teatro alla Scala, in Milan, the Teatro Fenice in Venice, and the “Roma Sinfonietta” Orchestra of Rome. He has performed under the direction of prestigious conductors such as Mstislav Rostropovich and Riccardo Muti, and alongside internationally renowned musicians such as Andrea Bocelli, Noa, Plácido Domingo and Júlio Pereira. He is one of the founders, together with Emanuele and Valdimiro Buzi, of the “Quinteto a Plettro Giuseppe Anedda,” receiving in 2012 the Medal of Representation of the President of the Italian Republic. He is considered among the most prestigious Portuguese mandolinists, always receiving great acclaim from audiences and critics. He graduated in mandolin with honorable mention from the Conservatório Superior “Alfredo Casella” of L’Aquila, under the guidance of one of the most prestigious mandolinists in the world, Dorina Frati, and in 2016 obtained a master’s degree in Musical Training and ensemble classes from IPS – Esart.
Jorge Hernández Vidal was born in Pontevedra (Galicia, Spain), beginning his piano studies in the same city, later continuing at the Conservatório Superior de Castellón (Valencia) under the tutelage of professors Leonel Morales and Juan Carlos Cornelles. He also studies violin and actively collaborates as a violinist with the Orquestra de Câmara Lira (Lira Chamber Orchestra) of the city of Pontevedra, directed by D. Algirdas Pocius. He takes part in charity and cultural concerts. The research paper he wrote for his final degree project was on the piano repertoire of the Galician composer Rogelio Groba Groba, and was rated excellent. He is currently a piano teacher and accompanying pianist at the Conservatório-Escola Profissional das Artes da Madeira Eng. Luiz Peter Clode.
The Instituto Moinho Cultural Sul-Americano
Opened in Corumbá (MS), in 2004, Moinho Cultural is a civil society organization that offers dance, music, technology and computer classes to children and adolescents in situations of social vulnerability in Corumbá, Ladário, Puerto Suárez and Puerto Quijarro. The ongoing training offered by the institution lasts up to eight years. Moinho also works on training performer-creators for young people and adults, through the Companhia de Dança do Pantanal (Pantanal Dance Company), the Orquestra de Câmara do Pantanal (Pantanal Chamber Orchestra) and the Technology Center. The institution’s mission is to reduce social vulnerability in the Brazil-Bolivia border region through access to cultural and technological resources. Since the start of its activities, more than 23 thousand children and adolescents have been served by Moinho.
Moinho Cultural currently has master sponsorship via the Cultural Incentive Law from the Instituto Cultural Vale, as well as sponsorship from Bellalluna Participações LTDA, Brinks, BTG Pactual, Carai Empreendimentos LTDA, Comper, Instituto Itaú Cultural, Hinove, Rodobens and Criança Esperança, in addition to the partnership of J.Macêdo, Itaú Social and FecomércioMS-SESC. Institutional partners include the Fundação de Cultura de Mato Grosso do Sul, the City Hall of Corumbá, the City Hall of Ladário, the City Hall of Puerto Suárez, the City Hall of Puerto Quijarro, Instituto Homem Pantaneiro, IFMS, UFMS, Acaia Pantanal and other individual and corporate donors.
