São Paulo State Symphony
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With more than 130 concerts during its annual season, the Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo (OSESP) is regarded as one of the outstanding orchestras in Latin America. With broad-based programming, juxtaposing the great works of international classical music with world premieres and pieces by Brazilian composers, OSESP brings to Brazil some of the major current soloists and conductors, such as Maestro Kurt Masur, composer Krzysztof Penderecki, soprano Barbara Hendricks, baritone Sergei Leiferkus, pianists Stephen Kovacevich and Nelson Freire, flautist Emmanuel Pahud, guitarist Pepe Romero, violist Gerard Caussé, and violinists Benjamin Schmid and Leonidas Kavakos, among the more than 60 visiting artists each year.
Founded by Maestro Sousa Lima in 1954, OSESP alternated between periods of success and great difficulty, including a hiatus in its activities. After Italian Maestro Bruno Roccela’s stay, the group was under the command of Maestro Eleazar de Carvalho for 24 years, until his death in 1996.
Under the direction of Maestro John Neschling since 1997, the orchestra has gone through major transformations which has positioned them as the barometer of quality and excellence in the fields of art, culture, and education in Brazil.
With the support of the State Government, Neschling created the Maestro Eleazar de Carvalho Musical Documentation Center, an orchestral subscription series, various educational programs and volunteer groups, a publisher for scores called “Criadores do Brasil,” just very recently started the activities of a Music Academy, and initiated a partnership with the Swedish recording company BIS to launch more than 20 CDs of the Orchestra’s performances. Almost half of these CDs have been recorded to date, among them a trilogy with all the symphonies of Camargo Guarnieri, Francisco Braga’s opera Jupyra, works by Francisco Mignone and Claudio Santoro, the first CD with some of the Bachianas Brasileiras and the Choros by Villa-Lobos.
In 2005 a contract was signed with the Brazilian recording company Biscoito Fino to launch a collection of CDs highlighting important works of classical music, including the symphonies of Beethoven and Tchaikovsky as well as a Liszt piano concerto, among others.
The former Symphonic Chorus of the State of São Paulo was incorporated into the OSESP, creating the Symphonic Chorus and the Chamber Chorus (Naomi Munakata, conductor). Also created was the Children’s Chorus (Teruo Yoshida, conductor) and in 2004, the Teenagers’ Chorus (Victor Hugo Toro, conductor).
After the tours through Latin America (2000), the United States (2002) and Europe (2003), OSESP celebrated its 50 years in Brazil, with a tour of 14 of the state capitals of the country (2004). In 2005 OSESP made another tour through Latin America and state capitals in the south of Brazil.
Also in 2005, the First Competition for Orchestral Conducting, The OSESP Prize, was launched. At the second annual competition in February 2006, the winner was the Chilean conductor Victor Hugo Toro, who assumed for two years the position of Assistant Conductor at OSESP.
For the 2006-2007 concert season, OSESP is getting ready to return to the United States, for concerts in 14 cities.
In 2006, the Villa-Lobos International Piano Competition took place, with candidates from eleven different countries from all over the world. Furthermore, the OSESP´s Academy of Music was inaugurated – based in the Berlin Philharmonic Academy. This is a project that intends to prepare young and talented musicians for future positions in Osesp and other orchestras.
[edit] Sala São Paulo
In 1999, Sala São Paulo opened as a concert hall and the new home of OSESP. It occupies buildings of the imposing Júlio Prestes Station, and it can accommodate 1,499 spectators.
