NEW YORK, October 1, 2026 – Opera is a vibrant art form in Brazil. November 16th is the New Yorker’s rare opportunity to see Brazilian opera featured at a major concert venue.
IBOC, the International Brazilian Opera Company, opens its biennial recital series, Opera Nova: NYC, in collaboration with Opera Ebony at Carnegie Hall. Works from seven living Brazilian opera composers are curated by IBOC Artistic Director João MacDowell. The select gems from Brazil’s new opera scene highlight how Brazilians continue to reshape opera with their unique cultural blends.
Most works are U.S. premieres, featuring composers spanning four generations and distinct approaches to contemporary opera, from Guggenheim Fellow-awardee Jocy de Oliveira and experimental music pioneer Jorge Antunes to emerging talents Franceile Regina and Sombrio da Silva.
“New York is hearing more of the Americas on its major stages. This is the moment to listen to Brazilian composers. We hope to be bringing awareness to an exciting scene, with a variety of styles and the potential to enchant US opera audiences,” says João MacDowell.
The concert also honors a connection planted more than 20 years ago. MacDowell met Opera Ebony co-founder Benjamin Matthews in 2002 while the bass-baritone was on tour at Rio de Janeiro’s Municipal Theater. Matthews, who performed with the Metropolitan Opera and New York City Opera, helped build a company that has supported Black artists, inclusive repertoire and new operas. After looking at some of Joao MacDowell’s scores, he invited the young musician to come to NYC to work with opera in 2002. Shortly after MacDowell arrived in NYC, Matthews passed away, and by 2014, the composer had co-founded the International Brazilian Opera Company. The connection between Brazilian and African-American culture, Harlem and Brazil, makes this concert meaningful at a larger cultural level.
The second biennial IBOC Opera Nova: NYC concert series is supported by the Opera America/Howard Gilman Grant for Small NYC Opera Organizations, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, Opera Ebony, Berimbau Restaurant and the Federative Republic of Brazil.
The IBOC Opera Nova 2026/2027 NYC recital season is scheduled to continue with a salon-style performance series in January 2027, at Berimbau Restaurant’s 2nd Floor, pairing a culture-in-the-making showcase with Berimbau’s Brazilian cocktail and tasting menu. Follow @ibrazilianopera for updates and tickets.
