Biography

​Érico Freire Bezerra, Collaborative Pianist

Brazilian pianist Érico Freire Bezerra is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Accompanying and Chamber Music at the Eastman School of Music, under the guidance of Dr. Andrew Harley. He received his Bachelor's degree from Rio Grande do Sul Federal University (UFRGS) in Brazil and his Master's degree from Illinois State University. Érico has been a prizewinner in numerous piano competitions, including the Orquestra Sinfônica de Goiânia Young Soloist Competition, where he performed Ravel's Piano Concerto in G major. In 2023, he received 2nd place in the 41st Annual Jesse Kneisel Lieder Competition and The Barbara M. H. Koeng Award for collaborative pianists at Eastman.

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Since the beginning of his DMA, Erico participated in many music festivals, including the Toronto Summer Music Festival, the Music on Site.Inc (MOSI) 2022 where he served as Music Director in the opera Suor Angelica. He attended the Aspen Music Festival and School as a fellow in the Vocal Collaboration program. Last summer, Érico was selected to the first Cincinnati Song Initiative program, and worked as a collaborative pianist for the Finger Lakes Opera and Endless Mountain Music Festival.

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Since 2015, he has served as a staff collaborative pianist at UFRGS in Porto Alegre/Brazil. Érico is a recipient of the Fulbright/CAPES Scholarship and currently holds Graduate Assistantships in Studio Accompanying and Orchestral Keyboard at Eastman.