U.S. State Department's Gold Stars' Tour Brings the Brazilian Music Coordinator Claudia Toni to Exchange Experiences

On the past Tuesday, February 19, 2013 the International Visitors Council of Philadelphia1 promoted a discussion and reception with Claudia Toni from Brazil.  She came in the United States and Philadelphia on the prestigious U.S. State Department's Gold Stars' Tour.






U.S. State Department's Gold Stars' Tour Brings the Brazilian Music Coordinator Claudia Toni to Exchange Experiences


On the past Tuesday, February 19, 2013 the International Visitors Council of Philadelphia1 promoted a discussion and reception with Claudia Toni from Brazil.  She came in the United States and Philadelphia on the prestigious U.S. State Department's Gold Stars' Tour.  Accordingly, community leaders from six countries were invited to travel to the United States on February 2013 to participate in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) Gold Stars’ Tour. This year’s Gold Star participants are from Brazil, Myanmar, India, Iraq, Slovenia, and Zimbabwe. They are researching strategies relating to gender equality, minority rights, migrant rights, human trafficking, the arts and education as tools of empowerment, leadership, and judicial reform2.



For many years Ms. Claudia Toni was the music advisor to the Secretariat of Culture of the São Paulo State Government and worked as a consultant for institutions planning activities in Arts Administration. She was also an advisor at the Secretary of Culture on policies, programs, and productions in relation to musical education and programming. The mission of the Secretariat of Culture of São Paulo State always was to formulate and enforce public policies towards the conservation of cultural patrimony, stimulation of artistic production and insurance of access to various cultural goods for São Paulo. Before working in public policy, Claudia was the Executive Director of the Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo. She has previously worked at São Paulo Municipal Theatre; Mozarteum Brasileiro; and the Museum of Contemporary Art / University of São Paulo3.  Currently Ms. Toni is the Music Coordinator for TV Cultura which is the São Paulo PBS Radio and TV Station.



At the IVC of Philadelphia Ms. Claudia Toni presented the cultural project she helped to implement in the State of São Paulo, the so-called Projeto Guri.  Accordingly, more than 60,000 kids and teenagers around the entire State of São Paulo are benefitted by such project, which is considered the biggest social and cultural program in Brazil.  Since 1995, the project offers introductory classes in music, choir, and in stringed instruments, wood, wind and percussion4.





In 2009 Ms. Toni was an IVLP participant in a "Performing Arts Management" program, which included meetings in Philadelphia at Curtis Institute of Music.  Since then she has established music education programs through a partnership between the Julliard School of Music and the non-profit Guri Santa Marcelina5, a disadvantaged youth music education project in São Paulo.  More than 15,000 children have been connected to the music education programs at Julliard as a result of her partnership6.



This time Ms. Toni will meet with Curtis again, as well as with the University of the Arts School of Music, in order to build an exchange program to send recent graduate students from such institutions to Brazil to gain teaching experience.  According to Ms. Toni, “Brazil needs to import such kind of knowledge from U.S. and its great music schools”.  She offers up to 6 months of teaching experience to the Curtis and the University of the Arts School of Music recent graduates at those youth music education projects in São Paulo.





1 International Visitors Council (IVC) of Philadelphia (http://www.ivc.org )



2 U.S. Department of State, International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) Gold Stars’ Tour (http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2013/02/203946.htm )



3 Cultural Exchange Brazil-Netherlands (http://www.culturalexchange-br.nl/individuals/claudia-toni)



4 Secretaria da Cultura do Estado de São Paulo (http://www.cultura.sp.gov.br/portal/site/SEC/menuitem.77e50ae1b029060df6378d27ca60c1a0/?vgnextoid=10ecb23eb2a6b110VgnVCM100000ac061c0aRCRD&idEquipamento=cbd7f12dc424c110VgnVCM1000004c03c80a____ )



5 Guri Santa Marcelina (http://www.gurisantamarcelina.org.br/sessao.aspx?id=16 )



6 Juilliard Summer Grants Go To Students for Educational and Artistic Residencies in Brazil (http://www.juilliard.edu/newsroom/releases/2009-10/2009_grants.php )