Leonardo Caire da Silva
Percussion
Brazil

Leonardo Caire was born in 1990 in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil, where he by the age of 12, formally started his drum studies under the orientation of Luiz Perez. He then subsequently joined the Universidade Livre de Musica (free university of music), where he studied under orientation of  Willian Caram and Antonio de Almeida. In 2008, he started studying symphonic percussion at the Escola Municipal de Musica (municipal school of music), under the orientation of Alfredo Lima. He has joined the Orquestra Jovem Municipal de Sao Paulo (municipal youth orchestra of Sao Paulo) as it´s percussionist, under the orientation and direction of percussionist Ricardo Bologna.

In 2009, he has participated of the Orquestra Jovem do Estado de São Paulo (sao paulo's state youth orchestra) under the direction of conductor Joao Maurício Galindo, then making presentations at the main theaters of the city. He also developed, at the orchestra,  works with soloists of professional level. In 2010, he simultaneously joined the Universidade de Sao Paulo (university of Sao Paulo) under the orientation of Ricardo Bologna, and the Academia de Musica da Orquestra Sinfonica do Estado de Sao Paulo (the state of Sao Paulo´s symphonic orchestra´s music academy), under orientation of Elizabeth Del Grande and Ricardo Righini.

Tiago Ellwanger
Violin
Brazil

Tiago Ellwanger was born in Campo Bom, Southern Brazil. He started his musical studies at the piano with his mother and, at the age of seven, begun studying violin.

After obtaining his Bachelor’s Degree at Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (2004), under Hella Frank, he was awarded a grant from the private foundation VITAE to study in Sao Paulo with Dr. Eliane Tokeshi. In 2006, Tiago moved to the US to be a member of the Leonard Sorkin Institute of Chamber Music and to study under Dr. Bernard Zinck at University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, where he obtained his Master’s Degree in May 2009.

Tiago has received several prizes as a soloist and chamber musician. Those include SESI Orchestra Youth Soloists Competition (2004 and 2005); UWM Concerto Competition (2009); UTK Concerto Competition (2010); and along with pianist Francisco Dellandrea, the First Prize at the Chamber Music Competition of Curitiba - Brazil as well as the prize of Best Interpreters of Villa-Lobos (2003). He has also appeared as a soloist with UFRGS Orchestra, University Community Orchestra, ULBRA Chamber Orchestra, and has soloed Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade with the UWM Symphony in November 2008.
 
His orchestral experience includes concerts under the direction of conductors such as Isaac Karabtchevsky, Bridget Reischl, Andrews Sill, and Osvaldo Ferreira. He was a member of UCS Symphony Orchestra and PUC Symphony Orchestra. As a guest musician, he played with the Porto Alegre Symphony Orchestra, Ribeirao Preto Symphony, and ULBRA Chamber Orchestra. Later, in the US, Tiago joined the Green Bay Symphony Orchestra, Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra, and the Oak Ridge Symphony.

He has participated in several master classes and music festivals studying with renowned teachers and soloists such as Rachel Barton Pine, Yang Liu (Roosevelt University), Gerardo Ribeiro (Northwestern University), Shmuel Ashkenasi (Vermeer Quartet), David Tailor (Chicago Symphony Orchestra), Lavard Skou Larsen (Mozarteum - Austria), and Carmelo de Los Santos (University of New Mexico). He has also received coaching from the Fine Arts Quartet, Mendelssohn Quartet, and the Felici Trio.

Currently, Tiago is pursuing an Artist Diploma at University of Tennessee – Knoxville, where he will graduate in May 2010 under Professor Mark Zelmanovich.

Eduardo Lucas Goulart Swerts
Cello
Brazil

Born in Belo Horizonte, the Brazilian cellist Eduardo Swerts recently received his Artist`s Diplom at the Musikhochschule Münster, Germany. He also has a Bachelor’s Degree in Cello Performance from the State University of Minas Gerais and a Bachelor`s Degree in Communication-Advertising from the Federal University of Minas Gerais.

He has regularly performed with orchestras in Brazil, Germany and at the Festival delle Nazioni, Italy, and served the Ouro Preto Chamber Orchestra between 2004 and 2007. He played as solist at the Algarve’s Festival of Music, in Portugal, and at the 3° Münster International Guitar Festival, in Germany, beyond the première of Rufo Herrera’s “Dos Pampas Sur”, with the Ouro Preto Chamber Orchestra. He has also performed the Dvorák’s Piano Quintet at the Westdeutsche Rundfunk Musikfest, with recording and broadcasting in Germany.

Eduardo attended courses and masterclasses in diferent countries with Antônio Meneses, Maria Kliegel, Peter Bruns, Márcio Carneiro, Grigory Alumyan, Alceu Reis, Hugo Pilger, Raiff Dantas, etc. Since 2008, he holds scholarships from the KAAD and the Yehudi Mehunin - Live Music Now.

Bruno Luiz Lourensetto
Trumpet
Brazil

Bruno Luiz Lourensetto, a native of Itu, Sao Paulo (Brazil), is a Teaching Assistant at the University of Southern Mississippi, where he is studying for his Master’s Degree in trumpet performance with Dr. Daniel Kelly. He is a member of the Southern Arts Brass Quintet (Southern Miss faculty quintet), principal trumpet at the Southern Miss Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble and Brass Ensemble. He also has performed with the Mobile (Alabama) Symphony Orchestra and the Gulf Coast Symphony Orchestra (Biloxi, MS).

Bruno started trumpet in Itu, and then studied at the Conservatory of Salto and the Dramatic and Musical Conservatory Dr. ‘Carlos de Campos’of Tatui. His principle teachers include Joao Verderi, Jr. and Oscarindo Roque Filho. He was a member of the University of Sao Paulo Chamber Orchestra, the Heliopolis Symphony Orchestra, the Sao Paulo State Youth Orchestra and the Uninorte Orchestra in Paraguay. He was a trumpet instructor at the ‘Assatemec’, a school of music for low income children in Itu.

He participated in the Campos do Jordao Winter Festival, the Tatui Music Festival, the Itu Arts Festival and Musica nas Montanhas Festival. He received lessons with Fred Mills, Gilberto Siqueira, Claudio Sampaio, Wynton Marsalis, Mark Ridenour, Ingolf Burkhardt, Ercole Cereta, Gianni Dallaturca, Bo Nilsson, Harmonic Brass Quintet and “Bulldog Brass Quintet”.

Bruno Lourensetto holds a B.S in trumpet performance from University of Sao Paulo under the guidance of Dr. Sergio Cascapera. At the University he was a member of the USP Brass Quintet which performed several concerts around Sao Paulo State including a tour to Italy and Switzerland. He also received an honor as a chamber music performer at the University of Sao Paulo two consecutive years. 

Helder Passinho Jr
Trumpet
Brazil

Born in the city of Salvador-Ba in 1984, began studying trumpet in 1999 at a workshop of the school of music UFBA. In 2002 he joined the college as an instrument of the same institution, graduating in 2006 under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Heinz Karl Schwebel.

Attended master classes with some renowned trumpeters, as Charles Schlueter, Andrew Balio, Mauro Maur, Jean François Michell, Fernando Dissenha, Nailson Simões, Gilberto Siqueira, Mireia Farres, among others.

He also participated in several concerts with the Symphonic Orchestra UFBA, Bahia Symphony Orchestra, with which he was soloist in 2007 performing a concerto for trumpet and orchestra Alexander Arutiunian.

In the year 2007 was chosen to Trumpet monitor of the project Neojiba, with the what participated in courses in Venezuela with the project FESNOJIV.

He is currently coordinator of winds Neojiba project in Bahia, and first trumpet of the Orquestra Juvenil 2 de Julho. 

Patricia Aparecida Da Silva
Bass
Brazil

Brazilian double bassist Patricia Silva holds a bachelor degree from Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais,Brazil and a Master of Music degree from University of Southern Mississippi, USA. Ms. Silva has received many awards throughout her career such as the first place in the Paulo Bosisio Strings Competition,Furnas Geracao Musical, William T. Gower Competition and XIV Young Soloists of UFMG; Second place in the Instrumental Music for Young Players and Honorable Mention in the Young Soloists of Bahia Symphony. Ms. Silva was also a semifinalist in the X Sphinx Competition. As a member of the Sphinx Chamber Orchestra, Ms. Silva has played in several venues in the U.S including the Carnegie Hall. Patricia Silva is currently working on her Masters in Music Education at the University of Southern Mississippi, where she is responsible for its orchestra's outreach program introducing classical music to schools,nursing homes and similar  facilities. She is also a cello and double bass instructor at the Hattiesburg Public Schools.

Edvany Klebia Silva
Cello
Brazil

Edvany Klebia Silva, originally from Joao Pessoa, Brasil, began her formal music studies in 1999 with Francieudo Torres (Brazil). She has participated in the following Brazilian orchestras: Children’s Orchestra of Paraíba, Youth Orchestra of University of Paraíba and Youth Orchestra of State of Paraíba. Edvany is a regular guest artist with many international festivals such as the V Festival Eleazar de Carvalho, 15th International Festival of Music and Colonial Brazilian Ancient Music, I Festival of Santa Catarina, II Festival de Santa Catarina, Rio International Cello Encounter XI, XII Rio International Cello Encounter, XIII International River Encauter cello, 38th International Festival of Campos do Jordao and most recently, The Youth Orchestra of Americas.

She has had cello master classes with: Mark Kosower, Antonio Meneses, Bernhard Löecher, Zigmmund Kubala, Leonardo Altino, Richard Young, Michael Vollhardt, Mats Lindström, Ingemar Brantelid, Juarez Johnson, Rebecca Peterson, Minna Rose Chung, Claudio Jaffé, Antonio Del Sure, Armen Ksajikian, Anatoli Krastev, Colin Carr, Dennis Parker, Yuri Hooker, Jed Barahal, Matt Haimovitz, Ilmari Hopkings, and David Gardner among others.

Ms. Silva is the grand prize winner of the 10th National Competition for Strings Paulo Bosisio (Class C), 11 National Competition for Strings Paulo Bosisio (Class B), the National Youth Chambers (3rd place with the Camerata Brasílica) in Brazil and can be heard on exclusive CD recordings of "Sivuca, the Poet of Sound" and "Brazilêra" with the Camerata Brasilica Chamber Orchestra. Edvany recently moved to Winnipeg to continue her studies with Dr. Minna Rose Chung at the University of Manitoba Marcel A. Desautels Faculty of Music.

Deborah Wanderley
Violin
Brazil

Deborah began playing the violin at age 10 in her hometown of Brasilia, Brazil.  Her teacher was Patricia Mello at the Escola de Musica de Brasilia.  She made her solo orchestra debut with the Art Brasilia Symphony at age 12.  Music became her escape from an unstable home environment while she participated in many children’s and youth orchestras. When she was 17 she left for Porto Alegre to follow her dream to be a professional musician.  She went from playing for coins on the streets to a position (at age 18) with the Porto Alegre Symphony, one of the top five professional orchestras in Brazil.  Other opportunities followed – with the Youth Orchestra of the Americas (YOA), and with the famous Simon Bolivar Orchestra.  Through YOA she had her first exposure to El Sistema, Venezuela’s remarkable youth orchestra program that has transformed the lives of more than one million at-risk children.  It was also her first contact with Jose Antonio Abreu, its founder, and Gustavo Dudamel, now the conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.  Around the same time, Deborah came to the attention of Alex Klein, former principal oboe of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.  Alex recommended her to the Vermeer Quartet’s Richard Young, who brought her to United States of America in 2006 for advanced study in violin, viola, and chamber music.

In the fall of 2008 Deborah founded the YOURS Project (Youth Orchestra Urban Rita Simo) in partnership with The People’s Music School.  Using the El Sistema philosophy, YOURS offers hope, discipline, and spiritual enrichment to children from inner-city Chicago.  Deborah recruited a dedicated faculty of college music students plus a few high-profile professionals, many of whom donate their services.  She also persuaded various important instrument dealers to donate instruments. The Project started with 35 students and 10 volunteer teachers. It is now a fully funded program with 3 Symphony Orchestras, 170 students and 25 teachers. Her work has been the subject of in-depth articles in the Chicago Tribune and the Hoy Newspaper. She has also been featured on Univision, Chicago’s Spanish-speaking television station, and she was one of the “People You Should Know” on Harry Porterfield’s ABC television program on Channel 7.  Deborah is a member of Chicago’s Build the Peace Committee, as well as the Partners of the Americas.  In 2009 the YOURS Project was recognized as the first (and only) “El Sistema Nucleo in Chicago” by the Venezuelan Consulate, who facilitated a visit by Maestro Abreu.  He was so impressed by the work that he asked to be a honorary member of the Nucleo. In the Spring of 2009 she was awarded with the Adelante Prize for Excellency in Community Services. In The summer of 2009 she founded and directed the Music for Peace Festival. The festival brought together young musicians from all over the Americas that were involved with social projects through music to celebrate and learn more about El Sistema.  Many of them were raised out of poverty through music programs. These young musicians performed side-by-side with major musicians in Chicago such as Dale Clevenger, Rachel Barton Pine, Richard Young, Alex Klein, Yukiko Ogura, Roger Chase, Jennifer Gunn, and Tage Larsen among others. Deborah spent the following three months working with the El Sistema inspired NEOJIBA Nucleo in Bahia, Brazil. In October 2009 Deborah joined a team of orchestra school experts on a mission for the Organization of American States. The team launched orchestra schools in Haiti, St. Lucia and Jamaica. 

All the while Deborah has been a full-time student at North Park University, where she was the Performance Award winner in 2008. She is pursuing a Bachelors of Music degree. Her highest aspiration is to inspire idealism and initiative through the sharing of music.