Brasil Guitar Duo

João Luiz
Douglas Lora

Winner, 2006 CAG International Competition

Classical Guitar Magazine exclaims: “The maturity of musicianship and technical virtuosity displayed…is simply outstanding.” in describing the Brasil Guitar Duo, winner of the 2006 Concert Artists Guild International Competition.  With full touring schedules on two continents and critically acclaimed recordings, the Duo is quickly solidifying its status as one of the preeminent guitar duos of its generation.

The Duo’s 2007-2008 schedule features Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s Concerto for Two Guitars with the Houston Symphony and conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto and recital engagements with the Tucson Guitar Society, the New York Guitar Seminar at Mannes College, New York Classical Guitar Society, Classical Guitar Society of Upstate New York and the Asociacion Nacional de Conciertos of Panama.  Prior engagements include Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall on the CAG/Winners Series, New York’s Downtown River to River Festival, Columbia University’s Miller Theatre (with the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas), an evening of works by Cuban born composer Tania León at Symphony Space, Orange County (CA) Performing Arts Center and the Miami Guitar Festival.   

The Duo makes frequent appearances in conjunction with CAG’s highly regarded New Music/New Places initiative, giving concerts in diverse non-traditional spaces.  Upcoming dates include BAMcafé in Brooklyn, the Art and Community Center in Rome, NY and a return to Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs. Recent venues include Brooklyn’s Barbes Bar and Performance Space, Manhattan’s The Monkey, Long Island’s Cinema Art Center and Philadelphia’s World Café Live.

The Duo’s latest CD, Bom Partido, a disc of Brazilian repertoire, was released in August 2007 on CAG Records.  Its debut CD, João Luiz e Douglas Lora, was released in 2000 to wide critical acclaim; Classical Guitar stated: “One would be hard put to think of a finer way to enter the world of recorded music.”  The Duo recently recorded the complete works for two guitars by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco for the Naxos label, which is due for release in fall 2008 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the composer’s death.  Joined by the Duo’s mentor Enrique Pinto, the players formed the Violão-Camara-Trio and recently released a CD of traditional repertoire.

The Brasil Guitar Duo has developed a broad repertoire of classical guitar duos (Bach, Sor, Scarlatti) and in recent years has broadened its aesthetic to encompass the traditional music of its native land (samba, maxixe, choro and baião). These diverse influences come together in the duo’s programming, a seamless blend of traditional and Brazilian works. 

João Luiz and Douglas Lora met in São Paulo as teenage guitar students and have been performing together for more than ten years, perfecting a sublime synchronicity and effortless performance style.
The ensemble’s primary studies were with Henrique Pinto along with Fabio Zanon, Paulo Martelli, Sergio Abreu and Alice Artz.  Douglas Lora recently completed a Master’s degree at the University of Miami as a student of Dr. Rene Gonzalez.  João Luiz is a member of the guitar quartet Quaternaglia.