MusicaNova Orchestra Names New Concertmaster: Christiano Rodrigues

MusicaNova Orchestra (MNO) has named its new Concertmaster Brazilian violinist Christiano Rodrigues. Rodrigues will make his debut with the orchestra at its season opening concert, Mid-Century Masters: Twentieth Century English Composers, Sunday, October 29, 2017 at 4:00 PM at Central United Methodist Church, 1875 North Central Avenue, at Palm Lane in the Phoenix Central Arts District.

Tickets are $20 and $15, available online at www.musicanovaaz.com and at the door. Youth under 18 are free with a paid admission.

The 30 year-old violinist began playing in his native Brazil at an early age, where he first gained recognition as a winner of the Jovens Solistas Brasileiros (Young Soloists of Brazil) and made his concerto debut at age 18 with the Orquestra Sinfônica da Bahia. Soon he was engaged at performances across the Americas and Europe, including such famed concert stages as Carnegie Hall, Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis, and Meyerhoff Hall in Baltimore.

He recently made his solo debut at ASU Gammage this past January, and received critical and audience acclaim for his recital performance in the historic Rector's Hall with the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra in Croatia.

"Christiano brings such infectious energy to everything he does and so its a delight to have him join MusicaNova as Concertmaster. His exquisite technique is only matched by his warm, generous demeanor and we are so looking forward to performing with him," says Warren Cohen, Music Director.

"I love being around people who enjoy playing music - and I do mean it when I say 'enjoy.' At MusicaNova, I have found nothing but joyous individuals, of all ages and all sorts of backgrounds who brave virtually any kind of music - new or old, masterpieces or experimental. This is the reason why I have accepted to lead this ensemble. They inspire me on both a musical and human level and I very much look forward to our work this season." - Christiano Rodrigues.

Currently pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts in violin performance at ASU, Rodrigues is heavily involved in the Harmony Project, Phoenix, which provides music instruction to underprivileged children for no cost. Students from Harmony Project will be featured as part of MusicaNova Orchestra opening concert, Mid-Century Masters on Oct 29.

Rodrigues states , "The Harmony Project is to me a source of energy. The more I work with these kids, the more alive I feel. These kids are some of the happiest individuals I have come to meet, and I can think of very few other moments in my musical career that has given me the amount of satisfaction that I get from listening to these young students week after week. Really, we, the orchestra, are the ones that gain the most out of this collaboration. I certainly do."

For more information about MusicaNova Orchestra, visit www.musicanovaaz.com

About MusicaNova Orchestra: Founded as a professional symphony orchestra in 2003. MNO also presents a Young Artists Concert Series and a free Community Concert Series at venues in Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tempe. The organzation conducts extensive educational outreach with Valley schools, and sponsors the unique MNO Composition Fellows Program for hands-on mentoring of emerging composers.

MNO Orchestra Concerts are supported by grants from the Arizona Commission on the Arts, the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture, and Tempe Arts Grants. Call 480-585-4485 for more information, or visit www.musicanovaaz.com.