Richard Boukas

The YEAR OF BRAZIL at QUEENS COLLEGE was an unforgettable and rich experience for everyone involved.

All activities took place at Aaron Copland School of Music (ACSM), a music conservatory internationally recognized for all aspects of its artistic and academic offerings. Associate Director Dr. Edward Smaldone, numerous itinerant faculty and brilliant students offered me as an artist-educator an unprecedented opportunity to share Brazilian music concerts and lectures through the lens of chamber, choral and jazz vocabularies.

FEATURED CONCERTS

• QUARTETO MODERNO, CHAMBER MUSIC LIVE SERIES
Our Brazilian Jazz concert consisted of two sets: original repertoire and Brazilian Songbook.
Click each link for complete videos.

• NEW SCHOOL BRAZILIAN CHORO ENSEMBLE: Ernesto Nazareth 150th Birthday Celebration. Listen to the complete performance.

• QUEENS COLLEGE VOCAL ENSEMBLE: Brazilian Choral Arrangements in Portuguese featuring the contemporary music of Minas Gerais, Choro composers and other regional styles. Presented by the Queens College Vocal Ensemble under the direction of Dr. James John. Listen to live recordings.

• QUEENS COLLEGE SAXOPHONE ENSEMBLE
Brazilian Music Genres and Compositional Applications
Under the direction of Dr. Paul Cohen, two of my saxophone quartets were presented.
Listen to one of the pieces on my CHAMBER MUSIC PAGE, track no. 9.

LECTURES

• Choro: the Bebop of Brazil
Exploring Choro's multi-genre 150-year evolution, its legendary composers and performers. 
Download a PDF of the discography used in the lecture.

• Hermeto Pascoal: Living Genius of Brazilian Music
A comprehensive lecture on Pascoal's works, compositional vocabulary, transcriptions of recordings and analyses. View a similar lecture presented at University of Denver.

• Brazilian Music Genres and Compositional Applications
Presented to the Queens College New Music Group of graduate student composers, facilitated by esteemed faculty member prolific composer Bruce Saylor. How generations of Brazilian composers used popular genres as vehicles for creative expression and stylistic evolution.
Download PDF of the discography.