ArtesAméricas

During the summertime, life on UT’s campus slows down. Whether it’s the heat or the absence of most of the 50k students, things just move at a different pace. However, at Texas Performing Arts, summer offers only a brief “intermission” between the last performance of one season and the preparations for the next one. For [...]

We’ve just confirmed that Brazilian superstar Gilberto Gil will be performing with cellist Jaques Morelenbaum and Gil’s son, Bem, on guitar during his two upcoming concerts at Hogg Auditorium, Tuesday & Thursday, March 23rd & 25th. I’m particularly excited about the addition of Jaques Morelenbaum. In addition to performing with legendary artists ranging from Egberto [...]

(Originally posted on 8/10/2009) Didá is an educational and cultural association for Afro-descendant women in Salvador in the state of Bahia in Northeast Brazil. Didá is a Yorubá word that means “the power of creation.” The association seeks to transform the lives of young women through music, specifically drumming and the style of music known as samba reggae. [...]

(Originally posted on 8/7/2009) Prior to each panel discussion, the ISPACongress in São Paulo featured a brief performance by a Brazilian artist, each representing a different facet of the country’s vast performing arts scene. On the final day of the congress at the Auditório Ibirapuera, guitarist Fabio Zanon gave a beautiful performance under remarkable conditions. In an earlier post, [...]

(Originally posted on 8/2/2009) Run by Paulo Dias, who is also a member of the Brazilian early music ensemble Anima, Espaço Cachuera is a cultural center in São Paulo dedicated to the research, preservation, and promotion of Brazilian popular culture. It includes a recording studio and performance space, which played host to a series of showcases featuring [...]

(Originally posted on 7/18/2009) I’ve just finished reading a collection of essays by Paul Heritage called “Intense Dreams: Reflections on Brazilian Culture and Performance.” Paul is the Artistic Director of People’s Palace Projects, which describes itself on its website as “an arts organization established at Queen Mary, University of London to advance the practice and understanding of [...]

(Originally posted on 7/5/2009) Last month, nearly 400 performing arts professionals from across the globe met in São Paulo, Brazil for the 23rd International Congress of the International Society for the Performing Arts (ISPA). Founded in 1949, ISPA is a professional network made up of more than 350 individuals from over 50 countries. Its goal is to strengthen the [...]

(Originally posted on 6/29/2009) Amigos, The 2009-2010 ArtesAméricas Season has finally arrived! Subscriptions are available now and single-tickets tickets will go on-sale July 15! As always,student tickets will be available for a mere $10…and that’s ALL students, not just UT! This year’s season boasts a little bit of everything, from Brazilian musical icon Gilberto Gil to the formidable, rising [...]

(Originally posted on 3/17/2009) On March 6th ArtesAméricas presented the Brazilian dance company Grupo Corpo at the UT Performing Arts Center’s Bass Concert Hall. The show marked the company’s Austin debut and was a huge success, bringing a new level of energy to the stage, which in turn inspired a rousing audience response that won’t soon [...]

(Originally posted on 2/21/2009) On my last trip to Sao Paulo, I was at long last able to attend a performance at theAuditório Ibirapuera. The building was recently named one of the “coolest” buildings in the world by Travel + Leisure Magazine. It’s a gorgeous space in the middle of Ibirapuera Park, which also houses the [...]