media contact:

David Perry & Associates, Inc

(415) 676-7007

news@davidperry.com

San Francisco’s Breanna Sinclairé Makes South American Debut at the Virtuosi Festival in Recife, Brazil December 14

Trailblazing Transgender soprano to showcase the diversity and artistry of American opera at the XXVI Virtuosi Rafael Garcia Festival

10 December 2024 – San Francisco, CA: Acclaimed operatic soprano Breanna Sinclairé, celebrated for her groundbreaking achievements and international performances, will make her highly anticipated South American debut at the XXVI Virtuosi Rafael Garcia Festival, December 11–15, 2024, in Recife, Brazil. Known for her historic career, powerful voice, and ability to connect with audiences across the globe, Sinclairé’s performance underscores the Virtuosi Festival’s commitment to cultural dialogue and musical excellence.

A Baltimore native and graduate of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Sinclairé made history as the first transgender woman to complete the institution’s prestigious opera program. In addition to her celebrated operatic roles in Carmen, The Magic Flute, L’enfant et les sortilèges, and West Side Story, Sinclairé has performed in major cities including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington, DC, Berlin, Amsterdam, and Toronto captivating international audiences with her artistry. She has also appeared on U.S. national television, including CNN’s United Shades of America with W. Kamau Belland PBS’s national broadcast True Colors. Sinclairé was the first transgender singer to perform the U.S. National Anthem at a major league professional sporting event, for the Oakland As in 2015.

“Music transcends boundaries, offering us a universal language of expression and connection, said Sinclairé. “To perform at the Virtuosi Festival is not just an honor, but a dream realized—to bring my story, my voice, and my heart to Brazil. I am thrilled to share in the festival’s tradition of celebrating music as a force that unites us all.”

Founded in 1998, the Virtuosi Festival remains a cornerstone of Brazil’s classical music scene, featuring free concerts, masterclasses, and educational programs across Pernambuco. The festival has hosted renowned artists while nurturing cultural exchange and fostering musical education.

“The Virtuosi Festival has always celebrated artistic talent from around the globe,” said Festival co-founder and pianist Ana Lúcia Altino. We are honored to welcome Breanna Sinclairé, whose talent, story, and voice will inspire and resonate with audiences while enriching Brazil’s cultural landscape.”

While a powerful celebration of music and artistry, Sinclairé’s performance in Recife is also being recognized for its significance as a example of cultural diplomacy.

About the Virtuosi Rafael Garcia Festival:

The Virtuosi Rafael Garcia Festival, established in 1998, is one of Brazil’s premier classical music events, showcasing national and international talent while fostering music education and cultural appreciation. For more information about the Virtuosi Festival and its programming, please visit https://www.festivalvirtuosi.com.br

Invasion of the Daffodils

Dino Enrique Piacentini’s gorgeously written “Invasion of  the Daffodils” sucks in the reader like the carnivorous waters surrounding its fact-meets-fantasy island setting.  Lavishly and lustily lyrical, it’s a coming out and coming of age story tinged with pain, hyper realistic wit, and no shortage of compassionately cruel insight. It cuts and cures in equal measure. It’s difficult to characterize and impossible to put down. I devoured it in one sitting.  If it was a movie, “Daffodils” would be “The Summer of ‘42” meets “Pan’s Labyrinth” with a side of “Call Me By Your Name.” Mesmerizingly original.

— David Eugene Perry, award winning author of “Upon This Rock”

https://a.co/d/b2fmwFm

media contact: David Perry / (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com / 

New Books Reveal Shocking Details of the ‘Portuguese Dreyfus’ as Granddaughter Demands €50 Million and Confronts Government Antisemitism

18 November 2024 – Porto, Portugal: In France, Émile Zola famously penned “J’Accuse” calling out the infamously antisemitic “Dreyfus Case.” Now, two pillars of Porto’s Jewish Community — widely considered the strongest in Europe in cultural terms — have leveled similar and timely accusations in two new books.

“The Portuguese Dreyfus Case: A Scandal from 1937 Heard in the European Court of Human Rights in 2024,” alongside “The Plan: Jewish Life Threatened in Europe” uncover the systemic antisemitism that has plagued Portugal and Europe, exemplified by the 1937 persecution of Captain Arthur Carlos de Barros Basto and the 2022 persecution against his granddaughter, Isabel Barros Lopes, and the entire Jewish community he founded in the city of Oporto a century ago.

Often called the “Portuguese Dreyfus”, Captain Barros Basto was unjustly dismissed from the Portuguese army in 1937 for circumcising his young students who were descendants of forcibly-converted Jews in the 15th century. The case against Basto, although ultimately dismissed, began with anonymous letters that tried to besmirch his reputation with fake allegations of inappropriate sexual relations with young men. All of this took place during the early years of the Salazar dictatorship in Portugal.

Basto’s granddaughter, 71-year-old economist Isabel Barros Lopes, has been campaigning for decades for his posthumous reinstatement. She is Vice Presidente of the Oporto Jewish community whose first President was Basto. The Community, the strongest in Portugal, is now seeking €50 million in compensation from the Portuguese state, due to a new anti-Jewish persecution based again on slanderous anonymous letters in 2022 which targeted the organization itself and Barros Lopes.

Barros Lopes and the Jewish Community of Porto are calling out what they see as hate against the Jewish community on the part of the government headed by former Prime Minister António Costa. Costa resigned as Prime Minister of Portugal in November of 2023 amid a corruption investigation. He will be heading to Brussels this December — in just over two weeks — to take his seat as president of the European Counsel, the institution which sets the political priorities and policy directions of the European Union.

“Costa’s inactions about my grandfather and the recent action of his government against me and our Jewish community are rooted in deeply ingrained hate against the Jewish success” said Barros Lopes. “We already sent both cases to the European Court of Human Rights to hold the government accountable and the State. This isn’t just about my grandfather; it’s about the systemic prejudice that still thrives in Portugal today.”

In turn, Gabriel Senderowicz, the president of the Jewish Community of Porto, echoed her concerns.

“The refusal of Costa’s government to reinstate Captain Barros Basto and the political persecution against our Jewish community – using the political press and anonymous letters from convicts – speak volumes about Costa’s priorities and his government,” said Senderowicz. “The assumption that corruption exists when a Jewish community prospers, is very much based on and anchored in old antisemitic tropes which historically plagued Portugal.”

In March 2022, incited by unverified anonymous complaint, Lisbon police invaded the home of Isabel Barros Basto, and likewise raided Porto’s historic synagogue looking for proof of financial malfeasance and corruption.

“According to the warrants presented by the police, they were looking for ‘bags of money. “However, the only bags of money every found were those found in November 2023 in the office of then Prime Minister Costa’s own chief of staff,” says Senderowicz, alluding to the scandal which brought down Costa’s government.

Adding to the urgency, “The Plan: Jewish Life Threatened in Europe” contextualizes Captain Barros Basto’s plight within a broader history of antisemitism across Europe. The book highlights how a modern government continued to use legal and political tools to undermine a strong Jewish community.

“The war against the Jewish success isn’t just a relic of the past,” said Senderowiz. “Books like The Plan make it clear that the struggle for justice and equality is far from over. The Soviets annihilated the strongest Jewish communities with the same methods. The less relevant communities were kept alive to show tourists that there was no antisemitism. The result was the death of Judaism in the USSR.”

Despite parliamentary and military recommendations in 2012 and 2013 to reinstate Barros Basto as a colonel, the Portuguese government continues to delay. The campaign by Barros Lopes and Senderowicz, coupled with the Jewish Community of Porto’s advocacy, aims to not only restore the honor of the now deceased Portuguese officer, but also confront systemic prejudice and demand accountability.

“The Portuguese Dreyfus Case and The Plan are essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the ongoing challenges facing Jewish communities in Europe and the legacy of historical injustices,” Senderowicz sums up.

The Jewish Community of Porto works to promote Jewish religion and culture, to preserve Jewish heritage, combat antisemitism, and advocate for justice in Portugal and Europe. Through cultural, legal, and educational initiatives, the community seeks to honor the legacy of individuals like Captain Barros Basto and safeguard the future of Jewish life.

https://www.realclearreligion.org/2024/10/11/strongest_jewish_organization_from_a_cultural_standpoint_is_in_portugal_1064553.html

Links to both books are below:

The Plan!
https://www.amazon.com/Plan-Jewish-Life-Threatened-Europe-ebook/dp/B0D8TLZLFY?dplnkId=50da406a-0452-4e2d-bba1-bc39bf2e5b73&nodl=1

The Portuguese Dreyfus:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DHYKN8FP?dplnkId=15682e0c-e3d5-49b1-81e8-486007c34251&nodl=1

media contact: David Perry / (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com 

Acclaimed Spanish Pianist Isabel Dobarro
Releases First Solo Album: Kaleidoscope

Album is Dedicated to the Great Women Composers of our Time

Artist and Activist has performed in the United States (Carnegie Hall), Spain, Germany, France, Russia, Belgium, Argentina, Italy, and Portugal

14 November 2024 – New York: Isabel Dobarro (www.isabeldobarro.com), one of the most internationally promising Spanish pianists of her generation, has released her first solo album, Kaleidoscope (Naxos-Grand Piano). The album became available last month. The 32-year-old Galician pianist and activist has curated a unique repertoire made up entirely of works by the great women composers of our time in a sonic journey that spans artists from the United States, Latin America, Africa, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Kaleidoscope celebrates unity in diversity through the universal language of music, with works by female composers from all over the world, creating a true sound kaleidoscope of diverse aesthetics and perspectives. The album is available in stores worldwide and online at:

• Amazon: 
  https://www.amazon.es/Kaleidoscope-Contemporary-Female-Composers Around/dp/B0D9YVP475/ref=sr_1_1_mod_primary_new?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.s2oQeuFJMB5ba94NXdXe071Nsop7hLLTwxkOT0NZimWUHWFjZ-NxcPZtzOcpKYdC.rAaNKhLCTMEXCnxigDFK4BfOfcPsd2Zc7PsoZfOEPz8&dib_tag=se&keywords=kaleidoscope+isabel+dobarro&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1731599373&sbo=RZvfv%2F%2FHxDF%2BO5021pAnSA%3D%3D&sr=8-1
• Amazon Music: 
  https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0D9P527RC
• Spotify: 
  https://open.spotify.com/intl-es/artist/6t4TxrDnNiVZRKs7Kvazja
• AppleMusic https://music.apple.com/es/search?term=isabel%20dobarro%20kaleidoscope
  

(NOTE TO MEDIA: Links below to liner notes and foreword for Kaleidoscope)

• Foreword to Kaleidoscope by Patricia Kleinman https://www.davidperry.com/newsroom/foreword-to-kaleidoscope-by-patricia-kleinman.html
• Liner Notes for Kaleidoscope by Manuel Garcia-Orozco https://www.davidperry.com/newsroom/liner-notes-for-kaleidoscope-by-manuel-garcia-orozco.html

“With Kaleidoscope I want to celebrate unity in diversity through composers from every continent, different cultures, generations, and musical traditions brought together by music,” says Dobarro. “Kaleidoscopeexplores the deepest spectrums of my musical journey, a journey whose paths have been deeply influenced by my discovery of the works of women composers. For different reasons, I deeply admire each of the composers selected to grace this album, and it was both a thrill and a delight to perform their works. Each composition has profoundly affected me as a player, a person, and as a woman.”

In Kaleidcoscope, Dobarro performs works by internationally acclaimed artists, including Gabriela Ortiz, resident composer at New York’s Carnegie Hall; Tania León, Pulitzer Prize winner and Carnegie Hall’s composer-in-residence; Julia Wolfe, Pulitzer Prize winner; Caroline Shaw, Grammy and Pulitzer winner; and Yoko Kanno, a renowned composer of jazz, anime, and video game music in Japan. The works are inspired by a wide range of sources: “Hana Wa Saku” is a national anthem in Japan created in honor of earthquake victims, “Tumbao” has clear Cuban roots, and “Alalá das Paisaxe Verticais” draws from Galician folklore.

“This album is a kaleidoscope of contemporary music styles and various prisms through which to understand current creation,”  Dobarro continues. “Kaleidoscope highlights the importance of women composers, who have been marginalized in history and in today’s programs.”

One of the leading classical pianists of her generation, Dobarro has been awarded numerous prizes at international competitions quickly establishing her reputation as an artist who looks for improving society through her craft. Her performances of the Spanish repertoire (both historic and contemporary) have been highly praised by critics and audiences.She has performed in the United States, Spain, Germany, France, Russia, Belgium, Argentina, Italy, and Portugal including New York’s Carnegie Hall, Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, Rachmaninoff Hall at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, Casina Pio IV in Vatican City, Balassi Center in Brussels, Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona, and the National Auditorium of Music in Madrid.

Dobarro is especially noted for her work in recovering compositions by women, premiering in Spain the quartets of Louise Héritte Viardot and the Piano Concerto in G Major by Marianna Martínez. She undertakes multiple projects that aim to link the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals with the arts. Recently named a ‘Woman to Watch in Culture’ by The Association Mujeres a Seguir.  She has won the Executivas de Galicia Award, was a finalist in the Future Women in Classical Music in London, and holds a doctorate from New York University. Dobarro studied at Harvard University, IE University, Manhattan School of Music, and the Royal Conservatory of Music in Madrid. Dobarro is a professor at the Katarina Gurska Higher Center, President of the European Music Center in Spain, and a visiting professor at the London Performing Academy of Music (UK). She performs regularly with National Music Award winner and RTVE Orchestra concertmaster Miguel Borrego, guitarist José María Gallardo del Rey, and also with her husband, flautist Rubén Torres Melero. 

Dobarro holds a doctorate from New York University, where she began teaching at age 19 as an Adjunct Instructor. Her studies include a Professional Studies Degree from Manhattan School of Music, a Master’s from NYU, and a degree from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Madrid. She also holds a Law degree from UNED, has studied law at NYU SPS, sustainability at SDG Academy, International Relations at Harvard University, and business at Harvard Business School HBX. She completed a leadership course at Cambridge University and a dual master’s in law and bilingual legal advisory at IE Law School. Dobarro divides her time between Madrid and New York City.