Constança Almeida Prado e Helenice Audi
Constança Almeida Prado
She began her violin studies at the age of 6 with Yoshitame Fukuda and Elisa Fukuda, Ayrton Pinto and Cecilia Guida. She studied music theory, perception and analysis with Osvaldo Lacerda and Dante Cavalheiro. She was a pupil of Violinist Evgenia Popova. Awarded the CAPES/Brasília Scholarship, Apartes program, brazilian violinist Constança completed her Masters degree in Violin Performance at the Manhattan School of Music- New York under Prof. Isaac Malkin, Chamber music under Isidor Cohen and Sylvia Rosenberg, and Baroque music under Kenneth Cooper. Before this, she had received her Bachelor’s degree in Violin from Santa Marcelina College in 1998. Awards received, among others, are 1st Prize in the Piracicaba National Violin Competition, Best Interpretation of Brazilian Music Award at the IBEU National Violin Competition, and indicated for the Carlos Gomes Award, instrumental soloist category.
Having made her debut as orchestral soloist at the age of 10, she has played with the following conductors: Reinaldo Calegari, Kenneth Cooper, Graham Griffiths, Ernst Mahle, Carlos Moreno, Roberto Tibiriçá, Lígia Amadio, Henrique Muller, Emiliano Patarra, Benito Juarez, Sílvio Barbato, Ricardo Rocha, Cláudia Ferez, Guga Petri, Cláudio Cruz and Lutero Rodrigues, Aylton Escobar. She has presented world première performances of several Brazilian works such as “Constantia” for Violin and Piano by Mario Ficarelli. Her father, José Antônio de Almeida Prado composed “Fantasia” for violin and orchestra, which Constança first performed with the OSB led by Maestro Tibiriçá, and later recorded the same piece for the CD “Louvação ao Papa João Paulo II” (In praise of Pope John Paul, II). She also has played the “Fantasia” with the Sudwestfalen Landesorchester NRW in Germany, Koln and Hilchenbach and with Conductor Ricardo Rocha at the VI Brazilian Music Festival. As part of the Almeida Prado´s 60th Year Birthday celebrations (2003), Constança performed the “Fantasia” in six performances with the following orchestras: OSUSP, Sinfônica do Teatro Nacional, Sinfônica de Santos, Sinfônica de Campinas, and OSB, as well as numerous recitals throughout Brazil as part of the Violin and Piano Duet with Pianist André Rangel. Under Conductor Silvio Barbato and the Sinfônica de Brasília, she recorded the works of Ore Jacy Tata and “Cartas Celestes” nº 8 by Almeida Prado for the Brazil 500 Years Celebration. “Cartas Celestes,” was premiered under Lígia Amadio and OSB in the year 2000. In 2004, she was the guest soloist for the OSB (the famous Brasilian Symphonic Orchestra), under Maestro Carlos Moreno with “Arias Boemias” by Sarasate. As well as solo performance of Mendelssohn Concerto in November 2005 with Maestro Aylton Escobar.
From 2001 to 2006, she has assumed responsibility for the classes previously led by her former teacher, Evgenia Popova, at the ECA/USP, and was nominated Violin Professor in 2002. Among the various Festivals where she has been appearing as Violinist and Professor, while continuing to perfect her art, there is the International Festival Maestro Eleazar de Carvalho, in 2003 and 2004. Constança participated in the Missouri Symphony Orchestra Summer Festival at Conductor Kirk Trevor’s invitation during two months in 2005. In 2006, she recorded a CD, as part of the Project of Petrobrás (with LAMI seal) idealized by Francisco Coelho. The CD is all dedicated to the Work of Violin and Piano by Almeida Prado, with the pianists Helenice Audi and Achille Pichi. In this project, there are another four great composers and international renowed artists. She recorded along the Algol Ensemble, the CD “Das Lied von der Erde”, the Schoenberg-Riehm version. After her father´s physical death, in November 2010, Constança and her husband Maestro Carlos Moreno created a new Ensemble devoted to his Music, The Almeida Prado Ensemble She performs with her mother pianist Helenice Audi in the “Almeida Prado Duet”, in the Almeida Prado Orchestra and in the Classimus Ensemble.
Helenice Audi
Pianist
Helenice Audi was born in São Paulo. She began her piano studies with Lina Pires de Campos and Arnaldo Estrella; music theory, perception and analysis with Osvaldo Lacerda and Camargo Guarnieri. Awards received, among others, are First Prize in The Tatui Nacional Contest, 1st Prize in the OSESP Youth Contest and Prize of the Government of São Paulo. She received her Bachelor degree at the Sta. Cecília Conservatoire. With Maria Curcio she studied Piano Performance. She received Pedagogy Bachelor degree at the Oswaldo Cruz University.
As soloist she performed under the guidance of Maestros Eleazar de Carvalho, Diogo Pacheco, Flavio Florence, Carlos Alberto Pinto Fonseca , Reinaldo Calegari among others. She gave many Recitals playing brazilian composers in Helsinqui, Copenhage, Roma, Geneve, Frankfurt, New York, and in many brazilian states.
She performed many premieres of Almeida Prado, her husband. As a chamber musician she has playing with such musicians as Evgenia Popova, Perez Dworecki, Dartiu Silveira, and also dedicating herself to the piano teaching.
She has played in New York with her daughter, violinist Constança Almeida Prado, and together they recorded many works by Almeida Prado for violin and piano, as part of the important Project by Francisco Coelho, called “Contemporary Music” with sponsor Petrobras and Oneyda Alvarenga Library.
“Limpid sonority, nitid shapes of the melodic line, all due to the very good shape of the fingers and excelent employment of the pedals” (Caldeira Filho – Newspaper: O Estado de São Paulo )
“Soul and body, brain and fingers, sensibility, compenetration of style, ‘estesia’... can exist something better, more complete? (José da Veiga Oliveira – Newspaper: Diário Popular)
