ANNUAL REPORT Jennifer Stumm Fausto Uehara Contents Founder and Artistic Director Set Design Julio Schwarz Andrade Wallas Pena Operations Manager Video Director 03 A Note from our Artistic Director Clemmie Gaisman Miles Essex Stage Manager David Kaye 04 The Ilumina Model Stela Morato Vicente Carrari Rodrigues Melissa Osborne 07 The 2016 Edition Marketing Photographers Mariana Bolzani Helena Delduque Graphic Designer Marcelo Delduque 08 Financial Summary Catering and Olivia Lacey Site Management 10 Season Review Social Media 14 Soloists 15 Acknowledgements Support: Minerva Kunststiftung ©2016 Ilumina Festival For discussion only with Ilumina Festival staff. Not for redistribution. This report is not intended as a legal or financial statement and, while all the information contained herein is believed to be correct, no guarantees are made as to its accuracy. A note from our Artistic Director It’s been an amazing year for Ilumina! What began as one been based on a one-to-one exchange of knowledge. A single violist’s idea took flight and began to connect people across great teacher can change the face of an entire city this way. In continents in the spirit of generosity and musical passion. The planting seeds of good musical information, Ilumina is working foundation of Ilumina is that music is social work. It should to develop future farmers, who will pass on what they know. delight, challenge, illuminate. The theme of the 2016 festival We went big with the program this year! Haydn’s was “This is for you!” and indeed, in everything we do, we monumental Seven Last Words of Christ was one group want to serve and connect people. project, with every fellow performing a movement with an My idea for the festival was to be a musical and social international artist to a huge crowd in Piracaia. In São Paulo, laboratory-- that we could both create world-class, innovative we closed the festival with a day of chamber music at MASP, performances and at the same time make new opportunities with pop up concerts even spilling out to the Avenida Paulista. for a rising generation of musicians from a challenging reality, The free tickets to the closing concert were gone in ten whose voices deserve to be heard. I wanted the process of minutes, with hundreds more people hoping to attend. We making music in community to be the very thing that changed performed a “challenging” program, not holding back from lives—for a group of musicians every year to have access to a contemporary music and non-traditional performance ideas. different future than they might otherwise. In every concert, with audience made up largely of people I really believed that my international colleagues, all world hearing chamber music for the first time, we were touched by leaders in their art, would be as inspired by these young the commitment and response of the community. musicians as I was, and that they would receive just as much As the world and the world of classical music change, as they would give. The strong bonds we have seen develop investing in young people from rising nations like Brazil are exactly what I had hoped for. Classical music has always becomes paramount. Classical music needs the stories and energy of a new generation of talent just as much as they need it. In 2015, we watched a group of extraordinary talents begin to make their mark, accepted into some of the best The theme of the 2016 conservatories in the world and winning new jobs. This is all very impressive, but what matters most are the changes festival was “This is not easily measured, the understanding, respect, spread of generosity and goodwill that come from pursuing a musical life. Music makes it happen. for you!” and indeed, There has been such an outpouring of generosity in all kinds of ways from around the world and I am so deeply in everything we do, grateful. Our new relationship with our partners, the Minerva Arts Foundation and Cultura Artística, is very exciting and it’s we want to serve and very special to me that much of this year’s festival was funded by individuals who care about social progress through music. connect people. It’s humbling to be a part of it all and I can’t wait for what comes next. Vamos! Jennifer Stumm 03 Ilumina 2016 Annual Report The Ilumina Model The Ilumina Festival was founded to the best instruction and the best the pursuit of musical excellence, in January, 2015 by North American information to take that final step. At in a fully open and meritocratic violist Jennifer Stumm, who had for the same time, I felt the world had to environment, creates the opportunity for several years built a relationship with a know about these amazing talents. I concentrated, high-impact education and group of young musicians in São Paulo, knew having a group of world-class meaningful social progress. For 10 days, where she often came to perform and to colleagues work with them as equals a select group of 20 of Brazil’s brightest teach as guest professor at EMESP Tom to create top-level chamber music young classical musicians, ages 18-26, Jobim. She was deeply impressed and performances would inspire both work and live together with 7 leading touched by their talent and grit, most of groups. The young musicians gained international soloists, on a secluded farm them coming from urban environments the opportunity to learn first-hand in the Brazilian countryside, preparing for with significant social challenges, and what makes these soloists and their a series of concerts. felt that an intensive exchange between playing so special, and to show that The musical objectives of this them and her international colleagues they could step up to that level. The exchange are uncompromising: would positively impact both groups. soloists embraced the enthusiasm and We create top-level classical music “I felt there was a gap in energy these young musicians brought by global standards. No concessions opportunity for those young musicians to the art and immediately recognized are made and no expectations are at the top of their groups, those who that they could deliver. It’s this shared lowered for our participants or our wanted to and had the potential to belief that inspires us all”. audiences. And maintaining the take their music-making to the highest From the start, Ilumina has been a highest of standards is crucial for our level. They lacked efficient access music festival with a difference, where educational and social objectives. 04 Nathan Amaral violin fellow NATHAN GREW UP IN THE MANGUEIRA FAVELA IN RIO. HE GAINED ADMITTANCE TO THE FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF RIO DE JANEIRO AT 16, AND LATER MOVED TO WORK IN THE ACADEMY OF THE ORCHESTRA OF THE STATE OF SÃO PAULO. HE IS CURRENTLY PREPARING FOR AUDITIONS IN EUROPE, WHERE A NUMBER OF ACCLAIMED PROFESSORS HAVE INVITED HIM TO APPLY. “You know, I didn’t expect that I would be a violinist or start to learn music because I live in a favela in Rio de Janeiro, a community of poor people, and there aren’t many opportunities to study. One day, a complete stranger knocked on our door and asked me - ‘Do you want to play the violin?’ – just like that. And I thought, wow, God gave me an opportunity to study violin. I’d never even heard of the violin before. He was from a social project that was starting with children in the community from the favela, and he was searching for children in the streets. At first I was like, no, I don’t want to do that, I think it’s for girls! But then my mother said, you should try it because it’s free, so you should just go and see if you like it, and if you don’t like it, then okay. So at first I just tried it for one week and then I kept going… and now I’m here. I was twelve when I The musical started so I have always tried my best, and practiced twice as hard to make up for lost time. I heard about objectives of this this festival from my friends who came here last year. The feeling of the festival, the people, there are many exchange are great fellows – I think it’s the best in Brazil. It’s very special. Not just because of the fellows, who are good uncompromising: and we play together, but also because the international artists don’t think that they are more important than us, it’s everybody learning together. It’s amazing, I mean, We create top-level we can talk to Giovanni, Jennifer, Sacha as friends, not only ‘Oh, you’re important, I cannot talk to you outside classical music by of work, of rehearsal’. But we lunch together, we have global standards. dinner together, we do everything together.” 05 Ilumina 2016 Annual Report Ilumina is efficient: Working with a small group of musicians allows us to hone in on those lives and careers we can significantly impact. Participating in Ilumina has already opened doors for a professional career or studying abroad, at some of the world’s leading conservatories and institutions, for over half of our fellows. The festival’s focus on chamber music perfectly intertwines with its educational and social objectives. In a small ensemble, every individual matters. Participants are quickly introduced to the standards and responsibilities placed on elite performers, Davi Ciriaco many of them for the first time. And double bass fellow they respond. Unlike many traditional educational environments, where a young DAVI IS FROM THE SÃO MATEUS COMMUNITY artist might have one or two hours of IN SÃO PAULO.