The Orquestra de Câmara do Pantanal (Pantanal Chamber Orchestra, OCAMP) will hold, next Saturday, April 11, at 7 p.m., a Benefit Concert at the Casa de Memória Beneficência Portuguesa, in Corumbá (MS). The event is the gateway to a historic achievement: the group’s debut at the XV Festival Internacional de Música Renascentista e Barroca Americana “Misiones de Chiquitos”, held from April 17 to 26, in the Santa Cruz de la Sierra region of Bolivia.

OCAMP is the only Brazilian orchestra invited to this edition of the festival, considered one of the most important early-music events in Latin America. The invitation came from the Associación Pro Arte y Cultura (APAC), the Bolivian institution responsible for the event, recognized for valuing the musical heritage of the Jesuit missions.

The Corumbá Benefit Concert serves a dual purpose: presenting local audiences with a preview of the repertoire to be performed in the historic Bolivian towns and raising funds to cover the delegation’s transportation costs. Tickets cost R$20.00 and can be purchased at the headquarters of the Instituto Moinho Cultural Sul-Americano or directly from the orchestra’s musicians.

Young musicians from the border on an international stage

The group that will represent Brazil at the festival is made up of 12 musicians from the Instituto Moinho Cultural Sul-Americano, aged between 15 and 20. The group will perform in five towns in the Chiquitos region: Roboré, San Rafael de Velasco, San Miguel de Velasco, San José de Chiquitos and Santiago de Chiquitos, totaling five concerts in one of South America’s most historically significant regions.

“Taking part in an international festival like Misiones de Chiquitos is a very important milestone for the Orquestra de Câmara do Pantanal. It is the recognition of work built with dedication, and also an opportunity to bring the artistic production of our region to other countries, strengthening this cultural dialogue between Brazil and Bolivia”, said Márcia Rolon, artistic director of the Instituto Moinho Cultural Sul-Americano.

The repertoire includes works by Antonio Vivaldi and Arcangelo Corelli, along with pieces from the collection of the American Jesuit missions. Each concert lasts approximately one hour. Artistic direction is by Márcia Rolon, conducting by violin teacher and conductor José Antonio Méndez, and general coordination by teacher Diego Cuellar.

“OCAMP demonstrated a high interpretative level in being selected to join the festival. It is the only orchestra from Brazil in this edition”, said Diego Cuellar, general coordinator of the Orquestra de Câmara do Pantanal.

Two paths to a dream

To make participation in the festival possible and mainly to cover transportation costs, OCAMP organized two fundraising initiatives: a solidarity raffle and the April 11 Benefit Concert. The concert at the Casa Portuguesa will also be a moment of celebration with the Corumbá community before the delegation’s departure.

OCAMP’s selection to join the festival demonstrates the interpretative level reached by the group. The orchestra is a direct result of the training process of the Instituto Moinho Cultural, an institution that for more than 21 years has offered free artistic and educational training to children and adolescents on the Brazil-Bolivia border.

SERVICE
Benefit Concert – Orquestra de Câmara do Pantanal
Date: April 11, 2026 (Saturday)
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Casa de Memória Beneficência Portuguesa – Rua Antônio João, 320, Centro, Corumbá (MS)
Admission: R$20.00
Tickets: At the headquarters of the Instituto Moinho Cultural and with the orchestra’s musicians