What was your project about?

My project focused on the Brazilian composer Edmundo Villani-Côrtes (b. 1930) and his cycle of six songs for voice and piano, based upon poems by the Brazilian poet Cecília Meireles. Villani-Côrtes is an acclaimed composer in Brazil, with a style that draws upon classical music and Brazilian popular music, but his works are underexplored, and his Cecília Meireles Cycle has never been professionally recorded. I did a world-premiere recording of the cycle in 2025, and presented a recital of Brazilian songs, along with Brazilian soprano Sheila Minatti.

Where are you now and how did your project shape the work you’re currently doing?

After completing my master’s, I decided to return to Brazil with the goal of creating a piano studio. I am proud to say that, after one year of hard work, the studio is going very well! My students are doing great, and I love both teaching and running the business. In addition to teaching, the experience of studying and performing Brazilian songs during the Cykler project inspired me to record my own music. Encouraged by Dr. Rodgers, I recently recorded five original songs, and I am so happy to see this dream come true.

The Cykler project taught me that music can be approached with greater freedom, and that classical and popular music can be beautifully combined in a recital because, at the end of the day, it is all music. 

The project has also continued to have an impact in Brazil. I was able to share all of our work with Villani-Côrtes, who was the inspiration and subject of my research, and his reaction was priceless. He was deeply moved, and I will never forget the smile in his eyes as he watched his song cycle performed and recorded for the first time. Moreover, Brazilian researchers have contacted me after discovering our YouTube video, asking for the score of the Cecília Meireles Cycle and expressing interest in learning more about the project and writing about Villani’s music. I am deeply grateful for this experience and for everything I learned, and I wish that many other students can have this opportunity that I had!