I’m in Rio! And it’s a special occasion: WASBE’s first ever conference in South America. Bands and conductors from all over the world are gathering here to share music and get convivial, all while experiencing the magic that is Rio de Janeiro. And I get to be part of it!

My journey was not without its hiccups. I left home (Oneonta, NY, where I direct the band at Hartwick College) at 9am on Saturday, escorted by my family to the Albany, NY train station, where I took the Amtrak down to New York City. I spent the afternoon with a brilliant friend who dropped me at JFK airport super early for my 11pm flight. The weather was a little frightful, and it turned even more so by the time I actually saw lightning strike the tarmac from the terminal! That was the prelude to a long night, with a halt to all motion at the airport for a while, resulting in a lot of canceled and delayed flights. I was fortunate to be among the delayed, but you can imagine the general frustration as 11pm gradually turned into a 3am departure. Still, by the magic of air travel, I was in Rio at my Airbnb by 3pm, with plenty of time to wander down to Copacabana beach and take in the World Cup final! While Spain led in goals, I think we can all agree that Gustavo Dudamel and the Muppets won the game.

The following morning, I had time to check out Ipanema beach before the conference events got going. The vast majority of the conference is in the Centro district, Rio’s historic downtown. I first went to the registration desk in the courtyard of the beautiful Theatro Municipal. The conference organizing committee was busily getting everything ready and checking everyone in, and I was pleased to reconnect with several friends from previous WASBE events.

After a dinner of Peruvian food, the conference officially got underway with a double bill at the Cecilia Meireles Symphony Hall, and gleaming and impressive municipal theater. First to perform were the Quinteto Villa Lobos, a professional woodwind quintet. They were virtuosic in every sense, bringing expressive solo musicianship into a very finely tuned ensemble sound. They finished to a pair of standing ovations.

We next heard speeches from local and WASBE officials, including our host Marcelo Jardim and WASBE president Miguel Etchegoncelay. They then introduced our first band, the Brazilian Army Symphonic Band led by Eduardo Pereira. They completely maxed out the stage, and their sound more than filled the hall! Their music was all Brazilian:

Dobrado Barroco – Gilson Silva

Quebra-molas (Speed bump) – Juliana Ripke

The Fall of the Sky, for bass clarinet and symphonic band – Liduíno Pitombeira

Mar que fala Português – Gilson Santos

ENCORE: Brazil – Arry Barroso

As they started, I was struck by a couple of things. First, they took about half a dozen tuning pitches, all As, each targeted to specific sections. Second, one of those sections was cellos! They had four (in addition to two basses), giving a little extra sheen to their low end. Finally, I was seated very close to the front, and thus couldn’t see a lot of the brass and percussion. But I did see a couple of brass players sneaking through the hall towards the back, which was a preview of things to come.

As for their repertoire, the Silva was a concert march. The “Barroco” part of the title had me wondering if it was a passacaglia, but the trio went in a different direction. The Ripke was mysterious, minimalist, and full of effects, with some drama. The Pitombeira featured virtuosic playing from soloist Thiago Tavares. It was in a modernist, sort of post-tonal idiom, infused with detailed lyricism, yet it ended comfortably on a D major chord (after an impressive cadenza). The Santos was series of epic, film-score-like episodes, often infused with some flavor of groove. The encore was a ravishingly great arrangement of a very familiar tune that is also a genuine expression of Brazilian patriotism. All in all, a great opening night!