Seven living Brazilian composers. Five singers. One of New York’s most iconic stages. Opera Nova: NYC is bringing a side of Brazilian music Americans rarely get to hear.
When people think about Brazilian music, opera probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind.
That might be exactly why this night at Carnegie Hall is worth paying attention to.
On November 16, the International Brazilian Opera Company (IBOC) is taking over Weill Recital Hall with music from seven living Brazilian composers — most of it being performed in the United States for the first time.
And forget the idea of Brazilian music — or opera, for that matter — having one particular sound.
This program moves through generations, experimentation, electronic music, Brazilian folklore and contemporary composition.
In other words: this isn’t your grandmother’s night at the opera.
Brazil sounds like a lot of things
The lineup alone tells the story.
There’s Clarice Assad, the Brazilian-American composer, pianist and vocalist whose work moves between contemporary classical music, Brazilian popular traditions, jazz and global influences.
There’s Jorge de Freitas Antunes, who has been experimenting with electronic music since the 1960s and is widely considered a pioneer of the form in Brazil.
And Jocy de Oliveira, whose extraordinary career has moved through composition, piano, electronics, theater, film and multimedia opera — and included collaborations with some of the most influential figures in 20th-century experimental music.
Then there are newer voices, including Franciele Regina Lima and Sombrio da Silva, bringing contemporary and experimental approaches into the mix.
Add João Guilherme Ripper and IBOC founder and artistic director João MacDowell, and suddenly one night in Midtown becomes a snapshot of several generations of Brazilian opera.
MacDowell puts it simply:
“This is the moment to listen to Brazilian composers.”
Fair enough.
But there’s a very New York story behind it, too
This isn’t only about bringing Brazilian music to Carnegie Hall.
There’s a connection here that started more than 20 years ago — between Rio de Janeiro and New York, and between Brazilian opera and one of America’s pioneering Black opera companies.
MacDowell met Benjamin Matthews, co-founder of Opera Ebony, in 2002 while Matthews was touring at Rio de Janeiro’s Municipal Theater.
After seeing some of MacDowell’s scores, Matthews encouraged the young musician to come to New York and work in opera.
MacDowell did.
Matthews died shortly after he arrived.
But the connection didn’t disappear. MacDowell eventually co-founded IBOC in New York in 2014, and now, more than two decades after that first meeting in Rio, IBOC and Opera Ebony are walking into Carnegie Hall together.
Opera Ebony Executive Director Eldric Bashful calls the concert “a homecoming as much as a premiere.”
That description feels particularly fitting.
Opera Ebony has spent more than five decades creating opportunities for underrepresented artists. Founded in 1974, the company has helped launch performers who went on to stages including the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala and the Royal Opera House.
So this isn’t simply Brazil arriving in New York.
It’s also two musical histories meeting again.
And Carnegie Hall is just the beginning
IBOC doesn’t see November 16 as a one-night experiment.
Opera Nova is the organization’s platform for developing and presenting new opera between New York City and Brasília, creating opportunities for new work to grow into future productions and collaborations.
And after Carnegie Hall, things get even more interesting.
The 2026–27 series is expected to continue in January at Berimbau, where salon-style performances will pair new Brazilian music with cocktails and a tasting menu.
Opera with Brazilian cocktails and dinner?
Now we’re talking.
But first comes Carnegie Hall.
Seven Brazilian composers. Multiple generations. Mostly U.S. premieres. A collaboration born from a meeting in Rio more than two decades ago.
And perhaps a reminder that the soundtrack of Brazil has always been much bigger than the part of it the rest of the world already knows.
IBOC Opera Nova: NYC
November 16, 2026 · 8 p.m.
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Tickets start at $45, plus an $11 service fee.
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