Last Updated on August 9, 2024
Caio Guimaraes is a Brazilian conductor and educator, currently working and teaching in Bloomington, Indiana. Caio is working on completing his Doctorate of Music at Indiana University Jacobs Music School, where he also holds a Master of Music in Choral Conducting.
In addition to the honors in Indiana, Caio also obtained a Bachelor of Music for Sao Paulo State University, in São Paulo, Brazil. Guimaraes is an active choral artist in the midwest and was appointed as the Chorus master for the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic recently. The 2023/2024 CIP program included Verdi’s Requiem, choruses from Mozart’s Idomeneo, Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, among others.
In Brazil, Caio worked with choral ensembles as well as productions of musical theater and opera. He conducted workshops of Broadway titles such as Next to Normal, Avenue Q, Legally Blonde and The Last 5 Years. In 2016-17 he served as pianist/coach in the Theatro São Pedro Opera Studio playing recitals of art songs and serving as a staff pianist for the academy.
Caio was also an active member of São Paulo State University (UNESP) opera studio conducting workshops of Mozart’s The Magic Flute and The Impresario and performing Bob in Menotti’s The Old Maid and the Thief. Caio serves as Music Director at First United Methodist Church in Columbus, IN and Assistant Conductor for the Bloomington Chamber Singers.
How has your Brazilian Heritage influenced your conducting style?
I believe that my Brazilian upbringing has influenced my conducting in a variety of ways. Primarily I am blessed to have a diverse range of repertoire brought to me from being from another country. Secondly, I have a different approach to the standard American repertoire, one seen through the eyes of a different culture. Finally I had the opportunity to both study and work with people from different nationalities who learned different styles, and I have used those influences to inform my music making today.
What is your favorite style of music (to conduct or to listen to)?
My love for music is eclectic, in the gym I go from The Beatles, to Beethoven and then over to Anitta, in almost a blink of an eye, each one of them speak to me and inspire me in different ways. In my personal life and for conducting I prefer choral music, opera, as well as musical theater. I feel drawn to what I love in music and what first brought me to love Choral pieces, I take that into my personal life in what I listen to. I love music as a whole, each form of it speaks to me in a different way.
What influences have you taken from your father in your music?
My love for choral music is deeply rooted in my memories of my father. We used to attend his rehearsals growing up, and loved to watch him work. My brothers and I would often try and follow along on the score despite not being able to read music yet. This sense of familial bonding over my fathers rehearsals is still in me today, and can be felt in my music. It was his rehearsals and my presence at them that first developed my love for music and then later my love for choral music.
What is the most important part of conducting that we as the audience don’t see?
Life as a conductor is like an iceberg for the audience’s perspective. What they see is the end result, the shiny finished product, a celebration of hours, days, and months of hard work. We pour our souls into rehearsal, practicing religiously to make sure the finished product is ready to be seen by an audience. Before we can even begin rehearsals there is work to do, setting up schedules, venues, seating charts, the list is endless. Of course you can’t forget programming the music in a way that is conducive to the group I am working with as well as the audience. In total it is a hard process, one that culminates in something truly magical for the viewer.
Explain how you organize such a large range of people into such beautiful pieces
I think the most important part of organizing a large group is the programming. I start off by asking myself some basic questions, such as “What repertoire will best suit the group I have, but also inspire them to come to rehearsal.” and “Does the piece I picked have relevance in modern society?” After I have rigorously thought through the musician selection, it is all about logistics, making sure that everything is properly in place prior to the start of the season so things run smoothly. Finally it comes down to me and my knowledge of the score. The better acquainted I am with the piece the smoother rehearsals run, this leads to people enjoying coming to rehearsals and thus raising the bar of the whole group. If I am able to lead the group through productive rehearsals with a common goal then I have set us up for great concerts.
Do you feel styles are different in Brazil and America?
The stylistic differences are really down to the differences in repertoire. Brazil and the United States don’t share common standard pieces and as such there is a whole new standard of music you must learn and incorporate. A lot of the differences in the music have to do with the language differences, but the market also has a hand in styles. I have found that the United States has a way more developed musical market than Brazil and that leads to more music styles being openly accepted.
Where do you see your future?
I feel the pull of education as well as performance. Ultimately I would like to find a way to balance the two, but I do feel as if they go hand and hand. I believe that with music you are constantly both teaching and learning, and every opportunity working with new people brings me new chances to learn even in an educational setting. Working in opera houses or Universities would give me the opportunity to not just perform but also continue to teach, and this seems like the ideal situation for me.
What would you say are some of you highlights so far?
I would have to say that earning my Masters at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University has to be one of my biggest highlights. The Jacobs School of Music is one of the most renowned music schools in the country, the coursework was tough but rewarding.
During my studies I was an active conductor with many off campus ensembles. I was selected to be a participant in the two most important national masterclasses, The American Choral Directors Club 2023, and the Collegiate Choir Organization 2023, I was the only conductor with the honor of being selected for both masterclasses in the same year.
Tell us about your work with the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic:
While I was still at school I was lucky enough to work professionally with the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic. Working with the Philharmonic was an honor, and I was even luckier to prepare the choir to perform Verdi Requiem, one of the most important choral pieces in the western Repertoire. I will be back performing and preparing them for the upcoming season. I am particularly excited to prepare the Philharmonic for Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, one of the best-known classical pieces.
What is your ultimate goal as a conductor?
Ultimately being a conductor like any other job is about having fun. Of course along the way I would love to build great ensembles and great music, but I also love the human connection. I hope to continue to be able to make music that I love with people that I love
What is your Favorite period in music history?
Haha! This is a tough one, as it varies on an almost weekly basis. I love the baroque repertoire, but recently I have found myself drawn to romantic opera. I feel as if this is an ever evolving question, and that answer could change at any time. Ask me again next week!
