City of Music - Soul Food Buffet

Like every other place on earth, one thing leads to another here in Tatui.  This city's population surged in the early- and mid-1800s when it stood astride the intersection of two important rail lines and hosted Brazil's first steel plant (no doubt more on that later after we've visited the plant ruins on Saturday). 

Employment was high and immigrants poured in during these decades.  They brought their instruments, talent and musical traditions, thus giving birth to what now defines Tatui - the City of Music.  In the mid-1900s the Conservatory of Tatui was officially launched and funded by the federal government.  About 2500 students study here without tuition or fees, eating and breathing music and drama all day long.  It's the premier conservatory in Latin America.

While classical music is everywhere, the enormous range of Brazilian folk music is also studied and performed here.  Naturally, I would like to stay for a year.

Here are some photos from our morning stroll through the practice rooms and concert spaces in two of its twelve campuses.  (I wish I could post some video for you but even the shortest ones take a lifetime to download.)

Above: In the Choro practice room.  Choro is considered Brazil's first urban popular music and once you start listening you do not want to stop.  The gal out of the first pic but pictured alone on the right was playing the back of a plate with a steak knife (dragging and tapping) when we first walked in.  Try it!  It's a pretty cool percussion instrument.

 

The wind ensemble rehearsing a saxophone duet concerto.  Both soloists play each type of saxophone at some point in the piece.

 

Over the shoulder of one of the kids in the children's choir.  They sang a Brazilian folk song for us.

 

The wall of tools in the conservatory's string instrument manufacturing facility.  Workbenches below.  It's a rather small workshop where students are actually maintaining the art and craft of production. 

 

In the library