Giovanni Porfirio, the 2025 Sinquefield Composition Prize winner, has been invited to perform at the opening of the Brazilian Legion of Good Will’s new offices in New York City on Monday, March 10.
The Legion of Good Will (LGW) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing educational and social assistance programs for economically disadvantaged communities. It was founded in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on January 1, 1950 by poet and radio broadcaster Alziro Zarur, and established in New York in 1986.
Porfirio is a composer from Sao Paulo, Brazil. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Sao Paulo State University and is currently pursuing a master’s degree at Mizzou.
His connection to the LGW, he says, dates back to when “I began my music studies in Brazil through a social project, where I first learned to play the piano. During my college years, I worked for the same organization as a pianist, teaching music theory to children and serving as a librarian for their community orchestra.” While studying at Mizzou, he has continued to maintain a close connection to the LGW.
The event will take place at LGW’s new offices at 12 E. 41st Street, Room 1402, on Monday, March 10 from 4-6 p.m. and will be attended by authorities from the United Nations and the Brazilian Embassy in New York.
The University of Missouri School of Music and the Mizzou New Music Initiative awarded the 2025 Sinquefield Composition Prize to Porfirio in November 2024. The Prize is the culmination of an annual competition for Mizzou students made possible by the Sinquefield Charitable Foundation and Dr. Jeanne and Rex Sinquefield.
For more information on the LGW event, visit the organization’s Facebook page.
The Mizzou New Music Initiative is a diverse array of programs that position the University of Missouri School of Music as a leading center for the composition and performance of new music.
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