Cristina Braga

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Cristina Braga

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Harpist and Singer

Cristina Braga has been consolidating her career as one of the most important harpists of Brazil. Working with various styles of both Classical and Popular music, she collects a total of ten recorded works, two of them also released in the USA. She also performs regularly as soloist with many Symphony Orchestras, has won several prizes and is currently principal harpist at the Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro Symphony Orchestra.

From 1990 until 1993 she was a member of the Board of Directors of the World Harp Congress, and made several tournées in Europe, besides concerts in Israel and USA. She studied with Acácia Brazil at the “Escola de Música da UFRJ” (Rio de Janeiro Federal University) – where she graduated with a Gold Medal Award, and Susann MacDonald at Indiana University EUA.

In 2002 she was re-elected as director of the WHC-Geneva, organizing a workshop on Brazilian rhythms on the harp and performing in a show at the prestigious Victoria Hall. She also performed in Zurich and Montreux, always with outstanding recognition from the audiences. She was also the first harpist from Latin America to teach and perform at the Munique Music School, invited by Prof. Helga Storck.

In Brazil Cristina has been to a large extent responsible for spreading out the possibilities of her instrument, with works that show no frontiers for harp playing. She was the first harpist to record a samba CD in which the harp is responsible for the whole harmonic base (O Mundo é um Moinho, Sambas of Noel Rosa and Cartola – OPUS 5, 1992). She also played with the rock band “Os Titãs”, in the recording and show “Acústico”, thus emphasizing the presence of her instrument also on the so-called “pop” music segment.

Since 2003 she has been the organizer of the “Festival Vale do Café”, a festival of music, history and nature, in the mountains of the south of the state of Rio de Janeiro. In 2006 the festival included the 5th Latin-American Harp Festival, with musicians from all over Latin-America.

Cristina has also performed with many leading Brazilian singers such as Nara Leão, Angela Maria, Peri Ribeiro, Moreira da Silva, Os Titãs, Zizi Possi and Quarteto em Cy among others.

Solos with Orchestra

Handel – B Flat Concerto for Harp e Orchestra Orquestra Petrobrás PróMúsica (conductor Armando Prazeres) Orquestra Sinfônica do Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro (conductor Mário Tavares)

Debussy – Dances Sacrées et Profanes Orquestra Sinfônica de Conservatório Brasileiro de Música (cond Marco Maceri) Orquestra Sinfônica Municipal de Santos (cond Gustavo Petri)

Ravel – Introduction and Allegro Orquetra Sinfônica Municipal de Santos (cond Gustavo Petri)

Grandjany – Aria in Classic Style Orquestra Sinfônica da Escola de Música da UFRJ (cond Roberto Duarte)

Ginastera – Concerto for Harp and Orchestra Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira (cond José Maria Florêncio)

Rodrigo – Concerto Serenata for Harp and Orchestra Orquestra Sinfônica do Paraná (cond Luis Fernando Malheiro)

Rousseau – Variations on an Old Christmas Orquestra Petrobrás PróMúsica (cond Jose Flores)

Bach-Vivaldi – Concerto for Four Harpsichords (transcription for four harps) Orquestra Petrobrás PróMúsica (cond André Cardoso, harps Acácia Brazil, Silvia Passaroto and Wanda Eichbauer) Mozart – Concerto in C major for Flute and Harp Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira (cond Robert Tibiriçá, flute Felix Rengli) Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira (cond Mendi Rodin, flute Renato Axelrud)

Recordings

1 – Introducing OPUS 5 (1989) – IMC Records Released only in the USA, with original compositions, extensively sold in this country.

2 – O Mundo é um Moinho (OPUS 5) (1992) – Imagem Exclusively sambas and songs of Noel Rosa and Cartola, the harp showing for the first time characteristic Brazilian rhythmic and harmonic elements.

3 – Clássicos bem Temperados (OPUS 5) (1994) – Albatroz The group OPUS 5, always entirely dedicated for popular music, was invited by producer Roberto Menescal to record classical themes with a Brazilian “swing”.

4 – Alianças (with Marcus Llerena-guitar) (1996) – Visom Special arrangements for this highly original duo

5 – Feliz Natal (1997) – Visom Instrumental, with renowned Christmas tunes, with the instrument which best represents this particular time of the year. Also released in the USA (Merry Christmas)

6 – Bambu (Bambu) (1998) – CPC Umes The quartet presents tunes from the Brazilian folklore with modern arrangements, together with some original compositions.

7 – Natal Brasileiro (with Celine Imbert-soprano) (1998) – Visom Brazilian as well as international Christmas songs

8 – Mais Perto Quero Estar (with Marcelo Bomfim-flute) (1999) Rearranged old religious hymns

9 – Diga Aonde Vai (Bambu) (2000) – CPC Umes Renowned as well as new composers in innovative arrangements, mixing the harp with very typical Brazilian percussion.

10 – Espelho Dágua (2001) – Visom Exclusively instrumental work dedicated to the style known as “New Age”, presenting only original compositions. Released in Japan (“Water Mirror”) in 2002.

11 - Harpa Brasileira (2004) - Kuarup Compositions of Villa-Lobos (The famous Tremzinho Caipira), Egberto Gismonti, Chiquinha Gonzaga and others, all with Brazilian flavour.

12 – Cortejo (2006) – Independent For the first time Cristina acts also as a singer and composer. Most part of the titles are compositions of her, and the old Brazilian “Jongo”, an African rhythm from which the samba derived, also appears.

Other notes of importance:

1- Cristina recorded, with saxophonist Mário Sève, the tune “Deus e o Diabo na Terra do Sol”, which was included in the instrumental Songbook “Antonio Carlos Jobim”

2- She was featured as soloist in the CD “Blue Moon”, with singer Ithamara Koorax, released in Japan with great success

3- She was a teacher at the “Festival de Inverno de Campos de Jordão” – São Paulo, where she presented Mozart’s Concerto with the festival’s orchestra

4- She was soloist at the “Recife-2000 Christmas Concert”, accompanied by the “Orquestra de Cordas Dedilhadas do Recife” and the “Quinteto de Cordas da Paraíba”

5- Cristina plays regularly on the most important series of concerts in Rio de Janeiro, such as: Fundação Eva Klabin, Ibam, Funarte, Palácio da Cidade, Sala Guiomar Novais, Centro Cultural do Banco do Brasil, Instituto Moreira Salles, Sala Cecília Meireles, Espaço Finep, Foyer do Theatro Municipal and others

6- She played in the soundtracks of many well-known Brazilian movies, such as “Tieta”, “Orfeu do Carnaval” and “Madame Satã”

7- Her talent was exalted by the eminent french violinist Pierre Amoyal for her accompaniment in Ravel’s “Tzigane”, considered to be one of the most difficult passages of the harp symphonic repertoire; also by Swiss conductor Karl Martin, for her work in “Tannhauser”; as well as by singer Barbara Hendriks and by conductor Mstizlaz Rostropovich. The four of them performed at the “Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro”, with the house orchestra

8- She recently performed duos in DVDs of many important Brazilian singers, such as Ana Carolina and Lenine