The Brasil Guitar Duo, hailed by Classical Guitar magazine for its “maturity of musicianship and technical virtuosity,” is equally at home on a classical or a world-music series or performing a concerto with orchestra.  João Luiz and Douglas Lora met in São Paulo as teenage guitar students and their successful partnership of over twenty years results from their innovative programming— which features a seamless blend of traditional and Brazilian works—leading to a busy global touring schedule and a growing catalogue of critically acclaimed recordings garnering two Latin Grammy nominations.

Committed to performing new chamber music employing the guitar, the Duo joined cellists Yo-Yo Ma and Carlos Prieto for the October 2014 world premiere of El arco y la lira, a work for two cellos and two guitars by the esteemed Cuban composer Leo Brouwer. On the same program—a highlight of the sixth annual Festival Leo Brouwer in Havana—the Duo gave the Cuban premiere of Brouwer’s Sonata de Los Viajeros, which they had presented in its U.S. premiere the previous month and recorded for a Naxos CD of Brouwer’s complete works for two guitars, which was nominated for a 2016 Latin Grammy award for Best New Composition.

Eager advocates for new concerti for two guitars and orchestra, the Duo premiered a Concerto for Two Guitars and Orchestra by Brazilian composer Paulo Bellinati with the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra in June 2012, under the direction of Giancarlo Guerrero, and gave the work its U.S. premiere in April 2013.  In February 2016, they recorded the Bellinati concerto along with Leo Brouwer’s concerto Book of Signs with the Delaware Symphony Orchestra and conductor David Amado. 

The Duo’s principal teacher was Henrique Pinto, and they also worked privately with Fabio Zanon, Paulo Martelli, Sergio Abreu, and Alice Artzt. Douglas Lora earned his Master’s degree from the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music as a student of Dr. Rene Gonzalez. Douglas is currently pursuing a doctoral degree at University of Southern California under Scott Tennant. Lora develops studies in Brazilian Music at Centrum Workshops in Washington State. João Luiz received his Master’s degree from Mannes College the New School for Music under Michael Newman, and as a recipient of the Augustine Foundation scholarship he earned a doctoral degree from Manhattan School of Music where he studied with David Leisner. João is the director of chamber music at CUNY-Hunter College, and the head of guitar studies at Stony Brook University.

The Duo actively strives to expand the repertoire for two guitars, with Lora contributing works of his own and Luiz arranging both classical and Brazilian music. Appearing frequently in diverse non-traditional spaces, the Duo combines a broad repertoire of classical guitar duos (Bach, Sor, Scarlatti, Rameau, Debussy, etc.) with such traditional Brazilian dance forms as choro, samba, maxixe, and baião.