NEW YORK — The International Brazilian Opera Company will bring contemporary Brazilian opera to Carnegie Hall this fall, opening the second biennial IBOC Opera Nova: NYC concert season with works by seven living Brazilian composers.
The concert, presented in collaboration with Opera Ebony, is scheduled for Nov. 16, 2026, at 8 p.m. at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall. Tickets start at $45, plus an $11 service fee.
Seven Brazilian Composers Featured in New York Program
Curated by IBOC Artistic Director João MacDowell, the program will showcase the breadth of Brazil’s contemporary opera scene. Most of the works will receive their U.S. premieres, with composers representing four generations and a range of approaches to contemporary opera.
The lineup includes Clarice Assad, Jorge de Freitas Antunes, Franciele Regina Lima, João MacDowell, Jocy de Oliveira, João Guilherme Ripper and Sombrio da Silva. Assad’s “The Selfish Giant” is the only work on the program that is not a U.S. premiere.
“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 program spans established and emerging composers, including Guggenheim Fellow Jocy de Oliveira and Brazilian electronic music pioneer Jorge Antunes, as well as Franciele Regina Lima and Sombrio da Silva.
Collaboration Builds on Decades-Old Artistic Connection
The Carnegie Hall concert also reflects a relationship between IBOC and Opera Ebony that stretches back more than two decades.
MacDowell met Opera Ebony co-founder Benjamin Matthews in 2002 while the bass-baritone was touring at Rio de Janeiro’s Municipal Theater. Matthews, who performed with the Metropolitan Opera and New York City Opera, reviewed some of MacDowell’s scores and invited the young musician to New York to work in opera.
Matthews died shortly after MacDowell arrived in New York. MacDowell later co-founded the International Brazilian Opera Company in 2014. The collaboration between IBOC and Opera Ebony now brings that connection to Carnegie Hall.
“This concert is a homecoming as much as a premiere. Benjamin Matthews built Opera Ebony on the belief that great voices deserve great stages. What began as a mentorship between Benjamin Matthews and João MacDowell has grown into a collaboration between our companies. Four of our five singers are past Benjamin Matthews Vocal Competition Finalist/Winners, some have debuted at the Metropolitan Opera, and seeing them perform a program of seven Brazilian compositions, including a work by João himself, at Carnegie Hall feels like Ben’s legacy coming full circle. This collaboration has been a long time coming. November 16th is the first chapter, and we fully intend to write many more together.” — Eldric Bashful, Executive Director, Opera Ebony
Performers Bring Contemporary Works to Carnegie Hall
The performers include Kyaunnee Richardson, winner of Opera Ebony’s 2023 Benjamin Matthews Vocal Competition, along with Victoria A. Davis, Chantelle Grant, Nelson Ebo and Kevin Johnson.
Pianist Mireia Frutos Fernández, an experienced collaborator with living composers, will accompany the voice-and-piano works. Johnson and Davis are scheduled to make their Carnegie Hall debuts.
The repertoire includes music from Assad’s “The Selfish Giant,” Antunes’ “Imperatriz Leopoldina,” Ripper’s “Piedade,” Lima’s “Gota Tártara,” da Silva’s “Imperfect Decisions” and de Oliveira’s “Ouço Vozes Que Se Perdem Nas Veredas Que Encontrei.”
MacDowell’s “Tamanduá – Suite No. 7” will feature Richardson, Grant, Ebo and Johnson, accompanied by Fernández on piano.
Opera Nova Season Continues in 2027
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 support from the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, Opera Ebony, Berimbau Restaurant and the Federative Republic of Brazil.
Following the Carnegie Hall performance, the IBOC Opera Nova 2026-2027 New York recital season is scheduled to continue in January 2027 with a salon-style performance series at Berimbau Restaurant’s second floor. The events will pair performances with Brazilian cocktails and a tasting menu.
The Nov. 16 concert will open the new season while providing a major New York platform for contemporary Brazilian opera, bringing together established composers, emerging artists and performers through the continuing collaboration between IBOC and Opera Ebony.
