News

• Corporación Quiport, the Ministry of Culture of Brazil and the CCR Institute were pleased to present the Brazilian pianist Simone Leitão in Quito as part of her international tour.

On Friday, October 19th, the Ministry of Culture of Brazil, the CCR Institute and Corporación Quiport were pleased to present the Brazilian pianist Simone Leitão at Casa de la Música as part of her international tour. The repertoire included works by Bach-Busoni, Rachmaninoff and brazilian Villa-Lobos and Mehmari in a free concert.

More than 500 people enjoyed Leitão’s virtuoso performance and her interpretation of works such as Bach’s Chaconne in D minor, Grande Baião de Concerto by Mehmari, Ciclo Brasileiro by Villa-Lobos and Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor by Rachmaninoff.

As well as Quito, Ecuador, concerts will be held internationally in locations including Curaçao; Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York in the USA; Salvador, Brazil; and San José, Costa Rica.

The director of CCR Institute, Marina Mattaraia, reinforced the importance of promoting this kind of activity: “the support given to the International Tour will have a special meaning for the CCR Institute. In addition to supporting a Brazilian artist, the initiative will provide access to the culture of classical music abroad, where there are also companies of the CCR Group”.

Andrew O’Brian, President and CEO of Corporación Quiport (a company belonging to CCR Group), explained the reasons for sponsoring this event. “We are pleased to have the opportunity to promote high-quality cultural activities in Quito. We have been greatly looking forward to hearing Simone Leitão interpret exceptional pieces of universal classical music. We are proud that Quito has been included as one of the cities on the International Tour.”

The Ambassador of Brazil in Ecuador, Carlos Alfredo Lazary Teixeira stated that “it is a huge pleasure to be involved in Simone Leitão’s first performance in the country, locally supporting an event organized by the Ministry of Culture of Brazil and other institutions, in particular CCR Institute and Quiport. We are very pleased that Simone Leitão’s, as a renowned pianist, has included Quito in her tour and that once again a Brazilian artist has taken the stage at Casa de la Música.”

The pianist was born in Caratinga, Minas Gerais, and achieved international renown through performances in Brazil, Europe, Asia and America. She holds a DMA (Doctor of Musical Arts) in piano performance and musicology from the University of Miami, and a Master of Music in Piano Performance from the Norwegian Academy of Music. Simone is a curious and versatile artist who believes in the power of concert music as a universal language and a strong bridge of communication between diverse peoples and cultures.