“The integration of University of Florida students with the South Florida community, through the use of music, is one of the purposes of the Brazilian Music Institute Concert,” said Welson Tremura, a professor at UF’s School of Music and the creator of the Brazilian Music Institute (BMI).
The performances at the BMI concert are the results of one week of intense preparation on behalf UF students and renowned Brazilian musicians. They have five days to put together the arrangements, from formatting the show to choosing instruments, it is a time of intense preparation.
This year’s concert theme was “Felicidade: Happiness Brazilian Style.” It was meant to showcase how the dynamics between students and faculty can spread joy with the use of music. It was held at Broward College's Bailey Hall in Davie, FL.
The performances this year were unique due to the diversity in instrumental and vocal arrangements. Special guests included: Jovino Santos Neto, Renato Martins, the Brazilian Voices ensemble, Vadim Arsky, Alex Berti, Alexander Crook, Larry Crook, Jason Hainsworth, Beatriz Malnic, Loren Oliveira, Mike Orta, Ulisses Rocha and Scott Wilson.
There was an audience of about 250 people. Tremura is considering expanding BMI. Some institutions he is considering partnering with are Florida International University and New World School of Arts, which both had guests in attendance at this year’s concert.
“I take an incredible amount of satisfaction seeing the audience respond positively to the repertoire we perform,” said Tremura. “This music that we have been able to play places people in a better place.”
See more photos from the 2016 Brazilian Music Institute concert on Flickr.
