BACH BRAZIL
ENSEMBLE
The series of Concerts Bach Brasil, which already has more than 25 performances celebrated internationally, has given rise to a permanent formation of musicians of excellence. The Ensemble Bach Brasil, composed of 6 musicians, is established as a research, technique and virtuosity center focused on the historical performance of Johann Sebastian Bach's work.
FERNANDO CORDELLA
REGENCY AND HARPSICHORD
Fernando Cordella, artistic director of the Bach Society, is the conductor and harpsichordist of the Bach Brasil Ensemble. He is considered one of the most active harpsichordists of his generation in Latin America. In 2015, he received the TOYP JCI Brasil award as the most expressive figure in Brazil in the
year, in the “Cultural Success” category. Artistic director and principal conductor of the Sociedade Bach Porto Alegre and Bach-Brasil. Since 2016, he has been the teacher of the harpsichord class at EMMSP – Municipal School of Music of São Paulo and one of the coordinators of the Baroque Music Workshop at the same institution.
He has performed extensively as a soloist and guest conductor in the main orchestras in Brazil and abroad. He acted under the direction of: Peter van Heyghen, Nathalie Stutzmann, Luiz Otávio Santos, Michaela Comberti, Olivia Centurioni, Bart Naessens, Roman Garrioud, Juan Manuel Quintana, Rodolfo Richter, among others.
He began his studies with the pianist Dirce Knijnik, and on the harpsichord he had Nicolau de Figueiredo as his main teacher. Winner of the Premio Açorianos 2011 as best performer in the classical music category for the album “CRAVOS – from Frescobaldi to Mozart”.
GIOVANI DOS SANTOS
BAROQUE VIOLIN
Giovani dos Santos holds a Bachelor's degree in Music from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, where he was supervised by Hella Frank and Fredi Gerling. In a brief visit to Germany between 2011 and 2012, he took classes with Michael Gehlmann, in addition to participating in the
Deutsch-Skandinavische Jugend-Philharmonie, at the invitation of Leon Spierer, concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic. He then improved with Emanuelle Baldini, concertmaster at OSESP, in addition to having participated in dozens of music festivals and masterclasses throughout Brazil, including the full scholarship at the Campos do Jordão Festival 2015 and the position of concertmaster at the Academic Orchestra from the SESC Pelotas International Music Festival in 2013 and 2018. He currently performs intense orchestral and chamber music, integrating the Porto Alegre Symphony Orchestra, ULBRA Chamber Orchestra, Bach Brasil Ensemble, Trio Scherzo and Armonial Ensemble. He has actively participated in the historically informed performance scene in Brazil, where he has recorded alongside names such as Fernando Cordella, Luís Otávio Santos, Ricardo Kanji and Gabriella di Laccio.
MÁRCIO CECONELLO
BAROQUE VIOLIN
Master in Musical Performance from Universidade Federal Minas Gerais (UFMG), graduated from UFRGS under the guidance of Fredi Gerling and Hella Frank. He improved in Vienna and the United States at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville with
violin masters like Peter Schuhmayer and Mark Zelmanovic. He has toured with Junge Osterreichische Philharmonie, Youth Orchestra of the Americas and Jeunesses Musicales World Orchestra. Winner of the Young Soloists SESI/Fundarte contest. He was a member of the Minas Gerais Philharmonic Orchestra and concertmaster of the Belo Horizonte Sinfonietta Orchestra, where he also performed as a soloist. He is a member of the Porto Alegre Symphony Orchestra (OSPA). He also performs on the baroque violin, now part of the Bach Brasil Ensable. Orchestra professional involved in concerts, operas and scenic shows. He acted in several opera productions in Brazil and, abroad, as a production resident at Washington DC As a member of the Tristan Institute of Arts, he deepens his studies in philosophy, symbology and mythology, elaborating screenplays based on contemporary adaptations of Western mythology.
LEONARDO BOCK
BAROQUE VIOLIN
He graduated in the Bachelor's Degree in Music - Violin, at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), under the guidance of prof. Dr. Fredi Gerling. He obtained a diploma of artistic improvement during an exchange at the University of
Georgia (USA), with pedagogue Dr. Levon Ambartsumian (Armenia). He also improved in Germany, at the Hochschule für Musik Münster, with prof. Helge Slaato (Norway). He has performed in several concert halls in Germany, the United States, Venezuela, Chile, Argentina and Brazil. In addition to orchestral activities, he works as a soloist and is very enthusiastic about chamber music as a violinist and violist. He is assistant concertmaster of the Porto Alegre Symphony Orchestra (OSPA), concertmaster of the São Pedro Theater Orchestra, member of the Bach Brasil Ensemble and Vortz Orquestra.
DIEGO SHUCK BIASIBETTI
CELLO, VIOLA DA GAMBA AND REGENCY
Cellist, gambist and conductor, Diego graduated from the Hochschule für Künste (School of Arts, Bremen – Germany) in Baroque Cello with Professor Viola de Hoog and in Viola da Gamba with Professor Hille Perl. Graduate in Choral Conducting
by UFRGS with Prof. Dr. Joceley Bohrer.
He was soloist cellist in the extinct Unisinos-Anchieta Orchestra and UCS Symphony Orchestra. He recorded four CDs as a cellist in the orchestra of the 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st International Festival of Brazilian Colonial Music and Early Music, under the direction of Luis Otávio dos Santos. He is currently cello soloist at the Porto Alegre Symphony Orchestra and conductor of the Porto Alegre Consort and Coral Porto Alegre.
ALEXANDRE RITTER
CONTRABASS
The Brazilian bassist Alexandre Ritter has been developing artistic, pedagogical and research work since 2000 at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul – UFRGS (BRAZIL). He is a founding member of the Bach Society Brazil and bassist in the Bach Brasil Ensemble.
He received both Doctor and Bachelor of Performance degrees from The University of Georgia (USA) and attended a Masters in Performance at the University of British Columbia (CANADA). He has won scholarships for the Academia Musicale Chiggiana (ITALY) where he received Diploma di Mérito, Campus Internazionale di Musica in Sermoneta (ITALY), the Banff Orchestral Program and the Toronto Summer Music Academy (CANADA), as well as for the North Caroline School for the Arts (USA). Its main teachers were Antônio Guaracy Guimarães, Milton Romay Masciadri, Milton Walter Masciadri and Francesco Petracchi.
He has played in orchestras in North and South America, including orchestras in the US such as, ARCO Chamber Orchestra, the Savannah Symphony, Charleston, Greenville, Athens, Macon and Augusta, and in Brazil, Orquestra Sinfônica do Paraná (OSINPA), Orquestra Porto Alegre Symphony Orchestra (OSPA), Theatro São Pedro Chamber Orchestra and UNISINOS Orchestra.
His masterclasses, concerts and lectures have taken him to various parts of Brazil and to countries such as Germany, Argentina, Canada, Costa Rica, France, Holland, Italy and the USA.