Program:
Heitor VILLA-LOBOS (1882–1948)
Mazurka-Choro
Choros No. 1 Típico
João Luiz REZENDE
Sereno
MadrigAfro II
Part I: Curandeiro
Part II: Tempo de Afoxé
Ronaldo MIRANDA (1948)
Suite de Outono*
Prelúdio
Scherzo
Valsa
Dança
INTERMISSION
Sérgio ASSAD (1952)
Selection from 24 Studies for Guitar*
Pixinguiniana
Miltoniana
Guarnieriana
Jobiniana
Kriegeriana
Guinguiana
Mignoniana
Leo BROUWER (1939)
Los Guardianes de la magia*
Sonata Cubana No. 7*
I. Sonera Meticulosa
II. Soledad del Cañaveral
III. Carlos Embale sin ti
IV. Quasi Changüí
* Dedicated to João Luiz
Guitarist, educator, and composer João Luiz Rezende—a two-time Latin Grammy nominee—began his professional career as a performer of popular music from his native Brazil during his childhood. He later pursued formal training in classical guitar under the guidance of his mentor, Henrique Pinto. As a member of the acclaimed Brasil Guitar Duo, Rezende won the 2006 Concert Artists Guild Competition and has since performed extensively across the United States, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Both as a performer and composer, he is equally at home in the realms of classical, Brazilian, and world music. His repertoire—spanning solo guitar, chamber music, and concert works—ranges from foundational pieces for the instrument (from Dowland to Berio) to Brazilian rhythms such as *choro* and *baião*. His versatility led to his selection for a collaboration with Yo-Yo Ma and Carlos Prieto, part of a project honoring the 75th birthday of Cuban composer Leo Brouwer, which culminated in a historic concert held in Cuba in 2014.
His arrangements and compositions have been performed and recorded by a wide array of artists and ensembles, including Marina Piccinini, Fábio Zanon, Quaternaglia, the Olson/De Cari duo, Danilo Brito, Paquito D’Rivera, Clarice Assad, Bridget Kibbey, Jiji, Sybarite 5, D-Composed, Plínio Fernandes, the Newman & Oltman Guitar Duo, the Aquarelle Guitar Quartet, David Leisner, and the New York City Classical Guitar Society. His harp concerto *Recife*, composed for Bridget Kibbey, was premiered by the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra in 2019. His concertino for guitar and strings, *MadriAfro I*, was premiered in New York by the São Paulo Chamber Soloists in 2022. His most recent work, *Saravá*—written for string quartet and guitar—was premiered at the São Paulo Symphony Hall to critical acclaim, being hailed as one of the season’s standout musical events. In 2024, Rezende’s work received one of Brazil’s most prestigious artistic honors: the APCA Award, granted for the best new work to have been premiered.
His recent commissions include works for the guitar department at the USC Thornton School of Music, the NYC Master Chorale, Duo Amaris, the Guitar Foundation of America (GFA), Duo Sonidos, and the United States Guitar Orchestra (USGO).
His solo album, *Central Guitar*, features works by Gnattali, Guarnieri, and Gismonti. Two of his most ambitious recording projects are *Os Guardiães da Magia: Leo Brouwer por João Luiz* and *The 24 Studies* by Sérgio Assad.
Rezende earned a master’s degree from Mannes College and, supported by a scholarship from the Augustine Foundation, completed a doctoral degree at the Manhattan School of Music. Currently, Rezende serves as the director of the Chamber Music Department at CUNY Hunter College and is a guitar professor at the Yale School of Music. In 2023, he received the prestigious CUNY Feliks Gross Award in recognition of the excellence of his academic and research work.
