Classical Guitar Magazine exclaims: “The maturity of musicianship and technical virtuosity …is simply outstanding.” in describing the Brasil Guitar Duo, winner of the 2006 Concert Artists Guild International Competition. With a full touring schedule on two continents, critically acclaimed recordings and innovative programming featuring a seamless blend of traditional and Brazilian works, the Duo has quickly emerged as one of the preeminent guitar duos of its generation.
Highlights of the Brasil Guitar Duo’s 2008-09 season include debut performances at the Lied Center of the University of Kansas, Purdue University Convocations and the Daytona Beach International Festival, along with a combined engagement which includes both a recital at the CityFolk Festival in Dayton, OH and concerto performances with the Dayton Philharmonic. In addition, Mssrs. Luiz and Lora perform recitals for the Classical Guitar Societies of St. Louis, Upstate New York and Dallas/Ft. Worth, the latter of which features a three-city tour, as well as a Guitar Festival hosted by the Santa Barbara Symphony.
This followed a busy summer 2008, including debut performances at the Grand Teton Music Festival, Stowe Summer Music Festival (VT), Lancaster Festival (OH), and internationally, the Bermuda Guitar Festival, the Outreach Festival in Tirol, Austria and Sao Paulo’s Campos do Jordão international Festival. In addition, they performed a special collaborative program with soprano Sarah Wolfson at the Chautauqua Festival and the Cooperstown Chamber Music Festival.
Recent featured recital engagements in New York City include Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, the River to River Festival, New York Guitar Seminar at Mannes College, New York Classical Guitar Society and a special concert of works by Cuban-born composer Tania León at Symphony Space. In addition, they have performed for the Orange County (CA) Performing Arts Center, Tucson Guitar Society, Miami Guitar Festival and the Asociacion Nacional de Conciertos in Panama City. Recent orchestral highlights include a performance of Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s Concerto for Two Guitars with the Houston Symphony, and Brazilian music with the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas at Columbia University’s Miller Theatre.
The Duo’s latest CD, Bom Partido, a disc of Brazilian repertoire, was released in August 2007 on CAG Records. That followed the group’s debut CD, João Luiz e Douglas Lora (2000), which has garnered wide critical accl.. “One would be hard put to think of a finer way to enter the world of recorded music” (Classical Guitar). The Duo recently recorded the complete works for two guitars by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco for the Naxos label, which is due for release in late 2008 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the composer’s death. Joined by the Duo’s mentor Enrique Pinto, the players formed the Violão-Camara-Trio and recently released a CD of traditional repertoire.
The Duo appears frequently in conjunction with CAG’s highly regarded New Music/New Places initiative, performing in diverse non-traditional spaces. Just some of the venues who have hosted the duo are: BAMcafé and Barbés Bar and Performance Space in Brooklyn; Long Island’s Cinema Arts Centre; Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs; and Philadelphia’s World Café Live. The Brasil Guitar Duo is perfectly suited for these non-traditional venues, having established a broad repertoire of classical guitar duos (Bach, Sor, Scarlatti, etc.) combined with the traditional music of its native land (samba, maxixe, choro and baião).
João Luiz and Douglas Lora met in São Paulo as teenage guitar students and have been performing together for more than ten years, perfecting a sublime synchronicity and effortless performance style. The ensemble’s primary studies were with Henrique Pinto along with Fabio Zanon, Paulo Martelli, Sergio Abreu and Alice Artz. Douglas Lora recently completed a Master’s degree at the University of Miami as a student of Dr. Rene Gonzalez. João Luiz is a member of the guitar quartet Quaternaglia.
Will Scott's new album, GNAWBONE is here!!! The CD is available at CDBaby and other online retailers.
Over three years in the making, GNAWBONE is Scott's fully-produced studio debut and features a crack team of hand-picked musicians as well as guest performances by Jan Bell, Jolie Holland, Samantha Parton, and Preacher Boy (the album's producer).
Acho q e bem ao contrario, quando vou a Brasil, Atibaia e sempre minha parada obrigatoria,para ver a minha familha, e aproveitar dar uma enriquecida musical vendo e ouvindo o Douglas tocar como tambem seu irmao Alex q para mim e um tremendo musico,imagina poder compor no meio destas duas feras, SOU UM PREVILEGIADO.Quanto ao Duo,nao tive oportunidade de ouvi-los pessoalmente,mas com certeza tenho muitos cds deles,para tocar do lado do "Do" somente tinha que ser outra fera brabissima q e o Joao,Adoro as obras que voces interpretam e o bom gosto de escolhe-las,,,,Cuidado Pessoal nao cheguem perto,sao duas feras brabas na musica. Sucesso para vcs e irei ve-los na Florida,,,,,,beijos tio Helio
e' um orgulho tremendo estar em contato com um dos melhores duos de violoes do mundo,o Brasil Guitar Duo, do qual meu irmao,Douglas Lora, grande referencia em minha vida,integra ao lado de Joao Luiz.Parabens pelo trabalho maravilhoso e muito sucesso na carreira! abraco forte Alexandre Lora
Hey Douglas! I'm sorry i never called you back, but it was a busy week! I hope all went well with your gig, and PLEASE call me when you're back in town. BYE!
vocês estão fazendo um som maravilhoso, cheio de balanço e de swing brasileiríssimos e com uma precisão de impressionante virtuosismo. As variações também estão lindas! Enfim, está tudo muito rico. Fantástico! Abraços
