Featured Artist

Luiz Garcia

The Brazilian horn player Luiz Garcia was born in São Paulo in 1971 and began his musical education at an early age. Thanks to a generous scholarship from the Vitae Foundation, he was able to attend the renowned Juilliard School of Music in New York and after that the New England Conservatory in Boston, where he graduated in 1995 with distinction having studied with Charles Kavalovski. While still a student in Boston, Luiz substituted on many occasions with the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops Orchestras. In 1995 he joined the Empire Brass, touring the world and recording for the Telarc label. He returned to Brazil in 1997 to join the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra (OSESP) as principal horn, holding this position until 2001, when he began his career in Europe. Under the guidance of his mentor, Stefan Dohr, Luiz started performing regularly as guest principal horn in orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic, Staatskapelle Berlin, Bavarian Radio, Cologne Radio, Frankfurt Radio, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Tonhalle Zurich, Mahler Chamber, among others under the most renowned conductors. Most recently he performed as guest principal horn with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.  Between 2002 and 2006 he was also a guest artist of the German Brass.

Luiz has served on the faculty of many festivals, including the Pacific Music Festival in Japan, Instrumenta Verano in Mexico, Boston University Tanglewood Institute and the Campos do Jordão International Festival in Brazil. He was horn professor at the State of Rio de Janeiro Federal University (Unirio) from 2009 to 2014, principal horn of the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra from 2007 to 2014 as well as principal horn of the São Paulo Opera from 2012 to 2014. During the 2008-2009 season he served as guest solo horn of the Berlin Staatskapelle for the complete Mahler cycle, both in Vienna and New York.

As of December 2014 he regained his post as principal horn of the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra (OSESP).