Registration for Choralusp groups is free and runs until March 31. There are vacancies for people with and without experience in different districts of São Paulo.
By Elcio Silva
Cover photo – Grupo Andante – regente Tiago Pinheiro – Divulgação Coralusp
01/24//2022 – 4:55 p.m.
The USP Choir (Coralusp) is open for new choir members for the first semester 2023. Applications are free and aimed at anyone interested in participating in musical activities and developing as a singer. Candidates must fill in the application form available at www.coralusp.prceu.usp.br.
The activities are university outreach activities, open to the entire population even if they have no ties to USP. For most of the groups, no musical experience is necessary, and the only prerequisite is to be over 18. After sending in the application form, those interested should schedule a vocal test with the conductor of their chosen group.
Márcia Hentschel, director of Coralusp. Photo courtesy of Coralusp.
For Márcia Hentschel, director and conductor of Coralusp, 2023 will be a busy year for choral singing. “2022 was our comeback, a new normal with a few moments of masking. In 2023 we’ll have a full house again because choral singing is made up of crowds, it’s made up of singing together, there’s no other way.”
The director also says that they are looking to expand their roster of singers even further. “We’re going to do everything we can to bring in more people from outside and also from USP itself, it’s important to focus more on USP students, teachers, and staff, without losing the external audience, without losing the extension, which is what we do very well,” she adds.
Coralusp has seven conductors, five vocal technique instructors, a pianist, and administrative and production staff.
Founded in 1967 by conductor Benito Juarez and the then director of the Polytechnic Guild José Luiz Visconti, the University of São Paulo Choir is an organ of the Pró-Reitoria de Cultura e Extensão Universitária, made up of 13 groups and 2 workshops that bring together approximately 550 singers.
Women’s Group – Coralusp Festival 2022 – Conductor Paula Christina Monteiro. In Women’s Month, a special performance will be conducted by Márcia Hentschel and composed by Coralusp teachers. Photo Disclosure Coralusp
For 2023, singers and audiences can expect many new features in the Chorusp’s free performances. In March, a special repertoire is being prepared for Women’s Month with songs written by three Chorusp teachers (Selma Boragian, Sílvia Cueva, and Beth Amin) with the women’s choir, conducted by Hentschel.
A little of the Brazilian matrices can be found in the performances of the Andante group, conducted by Tiago Pinheiro, which brings the repertoire “Sangue Mestiço” with a mixture of African, European, and Indigenous matrices.
For those who like contemporary music, the groups “Yayá” and “Lapa”, under the baton of Mauro Aulicino, bring a selection of current composers from São Paulo in a combination of choral singing with Rap, Funk, and other genres, as well as a strong involvement with the reality of the peripheries.
Groups XI de Agosto and 12 em Ponto – Coralusp Festival 2022 – Conducted by Eduardo Fernandes – Photo courtesy of Coralusp.
The “11 de Agosto” and “12 em ponto” groups innovate by mixing singing with performing arts. The former presents the program “Miltons de Elis” with songs by Milton Nascimento and Elis Regina. The second, “6 x 80”, features songs by Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Tim Maia, Jorge Ben Jor, Milton Nascimento, and Paulinho da Viola, artists who had already turned 80 in 2022. All this with theatrical direction so that they can present themselves scenically.
Eduardo Fernandes – artistic director and conductor of Coralusp – Photo Courtesy of Coralusp
Eduardo Fernandes, artistic director and conductor of the groups “11 de agosto” and “12 em ponto”, was the one to tell us about these new features for 2023. He also points out that Coralusp can be a kind of informal music school. “A nice thing to say is that when people join the choir, as well as being able to sing and perform, they also have the chance to learn music. The choir offers lessons in perception, theory, music history, vocal technique, so the choir often ends up functioning as an informal music school.”
By participating in the choirs, all approved singers can attend the classes mentioned by Fernandes. New features include joint performances with the USP Symphony Orchestra (Osusp), the Coralusp Festival, a learning laboratory for singers, and classes with an American teacher on African-American singing.
Zimana Group – Coralusp Festival 2022 – Conducted by Alberto Cunha – Photo Courtesy of Coralusp.
The groups have different repertoires and rehearse in different neighborhoods of the city: Butantã (Cidade Universitária), Centro (Faculdade de Direito do Largo São Francisco), Bela Vista (Centro de Preservação Cultural – Casa de Dona Yayá – CPC-USP) and Lapa (Biblioteca Mário Schenberg).
Rock, Brazilian popular music, black music, classical music, jazz and soul are some of the musical genres that make up the groups’ repertoire. Those interested can check out each choir’s repertoire by visiting e.usp.br/56r before registering.
With five APCA – Associação Paulista dos Críticos de Arte – awards, the Coralusp has performed for a wide variety of audiences in Brazil and abroad and has already been present in Europe, Africa, the USA, and Argentina.
Service
Applications for new members of Coralusp – 1st semester/2023
When | Until March 31, 2023 – Limited spaces
How | Those interested should go to www.coralusp.prceu.usp.br and fill in the application form.
Once completed, candidates must book a vocal test by calling (11) 3091-3930 or (11) 2648- 0815, from 9 am to 4 pm, with Cida or Lindraci.
For more information, please contact coralusp@usp.br or call the above numbers.
Translated by Lara Yoshime Shizuko Fukushima