Workshops

"A Improvisação para saxofonistas clássicos"

CAOVVA SAXOPHONE QUARTET

"A Performance em Palco"

HENK VAN TWILLERT

"Workshop de JAZZ"

JOÃO PEDRO BRANDÃO

Dutch saxophonist Henk van Twillert (1959) studied at the Sweelinck Conservatory Amsterdam with Ed Bogaard where he completed his studies for the Superior Soloist diploma, passed “with distinctions”. In 1979 he was founder of the renowned Amsterdam Saxophone Quartet. The quartet played successful tours with numerous renowned musicians, including Jaap van Zweden, Daniël Wayenberg and Han Bennink. Remarkable events were the final concert of the EXPO ’98 in Lisbon and the opening of the Ajax soccer stadium Arena in Amsterdam.

Since 1993 Henk van Twillert recorded numerous CD’s and performs as a soloist with the Amsterdam Soloist Quintet. This co-operation resulted in the highly successful productions “Tango, a homage to Astor Piazzolla” together with violinist Sonja van Beek, and “Homage to Heitor Villa-Lobos”. 2001 became a landmark in the career of Henk van Twillert when he started to play and recorded the famous “Cello Suites” from Johann Sebastian Bach. In 2002 Van Twillert recorded a CD with Portuguese fado music, “Saudades” together with the distinguished Portuguese singer Carlos do Carmo. From 2006 on he was invited to the prestigious New Port Music Festival in America. Together with the Latvian soprano Inessa Galante he recorded the CD “Confesso”. Between 2009 and 2011 Henk van Twillert was residing in New York where he worked on his Ph.D. “Bach and the Blowing Bowing - The Cello Suites on Saxophone”. At the same time Henk started songwriting and completed his first album “New York” as singer / bandleader: Mr.Henk & Band.

Henk van Twillert is tutor teacher of Saxophone at the Superior School of Music and Performing Arts in Porto, Portugal, where he formed several saxophone ensembles amongst others Portuguese Saxophone Orchestra and Vento do Norte. After 25 years tutor teacher at the Amsterdam Conservatory he changed position to guest teacher. Van Twillert always combines love for music and teaching by giving workshops / master classes and concerts around the world. In his pocket he carries his special music program for children “Stars of the Future”

J oão Pedro Brandão is from Oporto where he began his musical studies as a flutist.He started to play saxophone in 2002 teached by Mario Santos.

In 2007 he completed his degree in jazz/saxophone at ESMAE (School of Music and Performing Arts in Porto) having studied with José Luís Rego, Mário Santos, Pedro Guedes, Carlos Azevedo, Telmo Marques, Nuno ferreira, Michael Lauren, Paulo Perfeito…Between January and July 2007, he studied at Lemmensinstitut (Belgium) with Frank Vaganné, Dré Palemaerts, among others.
He finalized in 2012 is Master degree in Jazz at ESMAE having studied composition with Carlos Azevedo and Paulo Perfeito. During these years he had the opportunity to take classes and workshops with several Saxophonists: Mark Turner, Greg Osby, Chris Cheek, Steve Wilson, Bill McHenry, Miguel Zenon, Jaleel Shaw, and with composers Maria Schneider and Jason Lindner. Currently he is a part of Orquestra Jazz de Matosinhos with whom recorded Portology with Lee Konitz and arranger Ohad Talmor, Amoras e Framboesas with Maria João and Our Secret World with Kurt Rosenwinkel, with whom played in NY at the Birdland and Iridium, and the Berklee Beantown Jazz Festival in Boston.

In 2012 he records Aljamia, an album with music composed and arranged by himself for “CORETO” – a group of 11 musicians who currently leads – released by the label Carimbo Porta-Jazz. He plays in other projects: “Bode Wilson” (trio w/ Demian Cabaud & Marcos Cavaleiro) – 26 (Carimbo Porta-Jazz 2014); Susana Santos Silva – Impermanence (Carimbo Porta-Jazz 2015); “Lúcia Martinez Quarteto” – De Viento e de Sal (Karonte 2014) and Soños e Delírios (Karonte 2010); AP Quinteto – 6e5 (TOAP 2011). In July 2010 he co-founded the Porta-Jazz Association. This Association created a movement that aims to promote jazz and its musicians in Oporto – organize festivals, regular concerts, Record Label, on-line Radio, Youtube Chanel… (www.portajazz.com)

Along with the musical activity he studied Chemical Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto, having completed is degree in July 2000.

The members of Caovva quartet are professional saxophonists based in Colombia were they perform as saxophone professors of the main universities of this country. The players of our quartet includes Magister Agustin Castro, professor of saxophone at Universidad de Caldas in the city of Manizales, Dr. Javier Ocampo, professor of saxophone at Conservatorio Antonio Maria Valencia in the city of Cali, Dr. Esneider Valencia, professor of saxophone at Universidad de Antioquia in the city of Medellín and Magister Cesar Villamil, professor of saxophone at Universidad Distrital in the city of Bogotá. What have brings us together is our common interest on promoting the artistic production by Latin American composers. In this case, a selection of the chamber music for saxophone by Aldemaro Romero.

This project is based on the findings of the doctoral dissertation titled The Solo and Chamber Saxophone Music of Aldemaro Romero, which explores the compositions for saxophone by this Venezuelan composer. The repertoire for our performance includes Fuga con pajarillo (1999), Preludio y quirpa (1997), and the world premier of Quirpa con variaciones (2003), all compositions written for saxophone quartet by Aldemaro Romero. These works are succeful examples of the hybridation process of blending vernacular music of the Colombian-Venezuelan plain territories with international and classical stylistic influences.