PROJECT 88
Élider DiPaula
piano (Brazil)
November 10 at 6 p.m.
Élider DiPaula is a Brazilian classical pianist, composer and pedagogue. Winner of the Orestes Farinello National Piano Competition at the age of six, he holds a bachelor’s degree in piano performance from Universidade Federal de Goiás, having studied under Dr. Ana Flavia Frazão. Awarded a scholarship for an exchange program at Marshall University, he was one of three pianists selected to perform in the prestigious Barbara Nissman masterclass at the Music Teachers National Conference. Upon returning to Brazil, DiPaula joined the faculty of the Instituto Basileu França, the largest conservatory in central Brazil. There he also served as lecturer, and as coordinator of both the Chamber Music Department and the International Artist Exchange program.
DiPaula next earned his Master of Music degree in piano performance at James Madison University, where he studied with Dr. Paulo Steinberg and Dr. Gabriel Dobner. He received Honorable Mention at the MTNA Young Artist Competition in Richmond, Virginia, and was invited to perform Songs of Hate, Sadness and Hope at the 36th Annual Contemporary Music Festival in Harrisonburg, Virginia.In addition to his artistic and pedagogical accomplishments, DiPaula established the Catartístico Society, founded the Escola de Músicos, coordinated the 8th NationalComposers Conference at Federal University of Goiás, and was the co-creator of the Contemporary Music Exhibition Som de Minuto . Performing actively, DiPaula premiered and recorded works by several prestigious composers, including Maurice Ravel’s Left Hand Concerto with the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Goiás. In 2015, DiPaula was awarded a commission by the Brazilian concert series Goiânia Música Hoje, where his song cycle for voice and piano, Songs of Hate, Sadness and Hope, was premiered and later featured in Dr. Aaron Agulay’s article, Élider DiPaula’s Canções de Ódio, Tristeza e Esperança: An Interpretative Analysis of a Mood Triptych.
Under the tutelage of Dr. Ludmila Lazar, who carries on the legacy of Rudolph Ganz, DiPaula is currently pursuing the Artist Diploma in Piano Performance at Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. Since 2017, DiPaula has held the position of music director at Unity Lutheran Church of Berwyn. This year, he launched Project 88, for which he is the executive director. Additionally, as the artistic director, DiPaula leads Project 88’s first productions: Into the Musical World: Concerts for Youth, True Unity Classical Concert Series, and Lucile Evans Music Festival.