Formação
Maestro Julio Moretzsohn
Formação
Maestro Julio Moretzsohn
Orquestra de Vozes Meninos do Rio (children of Rio voice orchestra) is a project of the municipal government of Rio de Janeiro through the Municipal Education Department, directed by conductor Julio Moretzsohn. The group was created in 1997 with the specific purpose of singing for the Pope on his visit to Brazil. In view of the repercussion caused, the municipal government decided to turn the Choir into its official representative.
Twenty-eight choirs from public schools in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro take part in OVMR. Its participants are students from Elementary and Middle schools spreading all over the city, from the West to the South Zones. They comprise a choir of one thousand voices.
All of the Musical Education teachers from municipal schools involved in the project take a choral conducting and vocal technique course taught by conductor Julio Moretzsohn, who coordinates the project. In these sessions, besides crucial technical information for the development and improvement of the tasks performed by these teachers, Moretzsohn teaches them the repertoire of Orquestra de Vozes Meninos do Rio. Each month, the schools are visited by assisting conductors, who supervise the vocal work under development.
Just learning how to sing a song is a source of rich experiences. Orquestra de Vozes Meninos do Rio intends to go further, helping the children develop creative thinking in order to fulfill their potentialities and feel confident and happy. The goal of establishing a cultural identity, proposed by Villa-Lobos through the introduction of orpheonic singing in public schools, still serves as inspiration – the repertoire is centered on Brazilian music.