Final Concert of the Conducting Masterclass
Gulbenkian Orchestra
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Date
- 20:00 / Cancelled 20:00 / Sold out Thursday, 20:00
Location
Grand Auditorium Calouste Gulbenkian FoundationIn-person ticket collection is available two hours prior to the event (availability: 200 seats).
- Tutor
- Conductor
- Luis Fidelis Conductor
- Juan Guevara Conductor
- Rui Miguel Marques Conductor
- Bruno Vicente Conductor
- Soprano
- Bruno Almeida Tenor
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Gulbenkian Orchestra
In 1962, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation decided to establish a permanent orchestral ensemble. Originally with only twelve musicians (strings and continuo) it was named “Orquestra de Câmara Gulbenkian”. This collective was successively enlarged and today the “Orquestra Gulbenkian” (the name it has adopted since 1971) has a permanent body of sixty instrumentalists, a number that can be expanded depending on the repertoire.
This structure allows the Gulbenkian Orchestra to interpret works from the Baroque and Classical periods, a significant part of 19th century orchestral literature and much of the music of the 20th century, including works belonging to the current repertoire of the traditional symphonic orchestras. In each season, the orchestra performs on a regular series of concerts at the Gulbenkian Grand Auditorium in Lisbon, where it has had the opportunity of working together with some of leading names of the world of music (conductors and soloists). It has also performed on numerous locations all over Portugal, in an effort to decentralize music and culture.
The orchestra has been constantly expanding its activities in the international level, performing in Europe, Asia Africa, and the Americas. In the recording field, Orquestra Gulbenkian is associated to labels as Philips, Deutsche Grammophon, Hyperion, Teldec, Erato, Adès, Nimbus, Lyrinx, Naïve and Pentatone, among others, and this activity was recognized with several international prizes.
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Lawrence Foster
Conductor
Lawrence Foster is known for his exhilarating and expressive performances in a wide range of music and enjoys a major career spanning the US, Europe and Asia. As a champion of the music of Enescu, his interpretations are renowned for their faithfulness to the score: “Lawrence Foster seems to have been put on this planet to conduct Enescu’s music. He is clearly a true believer and he understands every technical nuance and every expressive twist and turn” – The Telegraph. Following his tenure as Music Director of Opéra de Marseille for nine years and Artistic and Chief Conductor of Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra for four years, Lawrence Foster is invited to conduct an exciting variety of programmes. Lawrence Foster is a long-standing and iconic personality of classical music world. Awarded with the Koussevitzky Prize at Tanglewood in 1966, he became assistant conductor of Zubin Mehta at Los Angeles Philharmonic and chief Guest conductor of Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in 1969. Since then, he has been music director of Houston Symphony, Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya, Gulbenkian Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Montpellier and Aspen Music Festival and School amongst many other positions. Foster is particularly appreciated as an interpreter of the works of George Enescu and has made a comprehensive survey of commercial recordings of Enescu’s music. He served as artistic director of the George Enescu Festival from 1998 to 2001. In 2003, Foster was decorated by the Romanian President for services to Romanian music. Foster has recorded extensively for Pentatone including Schumann’s symphonies, orchestral works by Kodály, Bartók and Ligeti, piano and violin concertos by Bruch, Korngold, Rachmaninov, Grieg and Chopin with various soloists, and operas such as Othello, Madame Butterfly, Fledermaus and Girl of the Golden West. His recording of Enescu’s Oedipe (EMI) was awarded the Grand Prix du Disque from the Académie Charles Cros in France. -
Rita Castro Blanco
Conductor
Rita Castro Blanco is a young Portuguese conductor, known for her firm and clear technique and efficient rehearsal methods, thanks to a thorough preparation of the score and a natural and calm authority. Rita is currently Principal Conductor of the Huddersfield Philharmonic Orchestra.
The 2018/19 season culminated in a performance with the BBC Philharmonic, which included Anthero de Quental by the Portuguese composer Freitas Branco and première of the Saxophone Concerto by the award-wining Scottish composer Tom Harrold. Rita’s latest engagements include several ensembles and orchestras throughout the United Kingdom, such as Northern Ballet Sinfonia, Nottingham Philharmonic Orchestra, Stockport Symphony Orchestra, Wilmslow Symphony Orchestra, Alderly Edge Symphony Orchestra and has given many conservatoire level concerts in institutional and self-curated capacities with various RNCM ensembles.
In January 2019 Rita was chosen to represent the RNCM in a private masterclass with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, lead by Martyn Brabbins, and again in a masterclass and public concert with the BBC Philharmonic in September 2019.
Through RNCM’s conducting programme, she has been Assistant Conductor for principal and guest conductors of the BBC Philharmonic the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Manchester Camerata and the Hallé, such as Mark Elder, Vasily Petrenko, John Storgårds, Simone Young, John Wilson, Jessica Cottis, Elim Chan and Joana Carneiro. Rita was also Assistant Conductor and Off-Stage Conductor to Martin André in the production of Puccini’s Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi, directed by Robert Chevara.
While in Portugal, Rita has been invited to work as Assistant Conductor to Pedro Amaral, the conductor and composer of the opera Beaumarchais, a joint commission by Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian and Teatro Nacional D. Maria II in Lisbon. The collaboration with Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian has also led her to work with the Venezuelan conductor from El Sistema, Dietrich Paredes, in the summer courses of Estágio Gulbenkian para Orquestra.
Throughout her academic life, Rita has had the privilege to work with numerous renowned conductors and pedagogues in international Masterclasses and private sessions. This list includes Sir Mark Elder, Johannes Schlaefli, Mark Stringer, Martyn Brabbins, Vasily Petrenko, Mark Shanahan, Jessica Cottis, Tim Redmond and Jean-Sebastien Beréau.
Rita was born in Lisbon, Portugal, in 1993 and began her studies at the age of 5 at Conservatório Metropolitano de Música de Lisboa. She completed her conservatoire studies in violin and then started conducting with the guidance of maestro Jean-Marc Burfin, graduating with a Bachelor Degree in Orchestral Conducting at Academia Nacional Superior de Orquestra with exceptional marks. Recently Rita has graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music with Distinction, obtaining a degree of Master of Music in Performance, under the guidance of Clark Rundell and Mark Heron.
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Sílvia Sequeira
Soprano
Sílvia Sequeira was a member of the Dutch National Opera Studio in Amsterdam. In 2024 she won the 3rd prize, Wagner prize and Público prize at the “Tenor Viñas competition” in Barcelona. She debuted as 'Suor Angelica' in December 2023 in the Netherlands, in September of that year she also debuted as 'Donna Elvira' - Don Giovanni, in Portugal at the Óbidos Opera Festival. She was 'Anna Kennedy' - Maria Stuarda in the Dutch national opera production in May 2023.
She was laureate at the “Queen Elisabeth Competition” in Belgium, where she won the public prize. She was the “ARIA” winner; won 2nd prize, best dramatic voice, a special prize, and the audience prize in the “Ebe Stignani Competition”; 3rd prize in the “Vinceró Competition”; public prize in the “Ciclo Lousada” competition; and winner of the Wagner and Público awards at the International Vocal Competition in ‘s-Hertogenbosch in 2022. In 2021 she won 2nd prize in the Portuguese Rotary Foundation Competition, that summer she premiered the role “Micaela” from the opera “Carmen” by G. Bizet, in Weikersheim, Germany, directed by Elias Grandy.
She made her debut on international stages in 2019 with “Zanetto”, an opera by P. Mascagni with the role ‘Silvia’ at the Maastricht Conservatory. In 2016/2017 he participated in the production of the opera “Cosí fan tutte” by W. A. Mozart in the role of “Fiordiligi” included in the Postgraduate Course in Opera and Theater Studies at ESMAE, accompanied by the ESMAE Orchestra under the baton of António Saiote, staged by António Durães and Claúdia Marisa. He worked with Cecilia Fontes, Palmira Troufa, João Henriques, Rui Taveira, António Salgado, Luís Rendas Pereira, Connie de Jogn, Susan Waters, Yvonne Schiffelers, Maestra Mya Besselink, Chelsea Bonagura, etc.
Claude Debussy
Johannes Brahms
Giacomo Puccini
Ludwig van Beethoven
Johann Strauss II
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
As part of a Conducting Masterclass with Lawrence Foster, and following a period of preparation and rehearsals with the Gulbenkian Orchestra, six young conductors will have the opportunity to lead the ensemble in a free public concert. The programme includes works by Debussy, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms and Johann Strauss II, and will also feature soprano Sílvia Sequeira and tenor Bruno Almeida performing three arias from Puccini’s La Bohème.
Sponsor Gulbenkian Music
The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation reserves the right to collect and keep records of images, sounds and voice for the diffusion and preservation of the memory of its cultural and artistic activity. For further information, please contact us through the Information Request form.