The Italian musician who has been bringing his talent to Osesp for 20 years

It was exactly 20 years ago that Italian violinist and conductor Emmanuele Baldini saw his talent open doors on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean and decided to take a chance in Brazil on a new challenge: becoming concertmaster of the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra (Osesp).

In an interview with ANSA, the artist spoke about his arrival in the country, highlighted the importance of performing several roles at the same time and compared the life of a classical musician in the two nations of his life.

A native of Trieste, Baldini toured Argentina and Brazil at the age of 17, an experience that left its mark on his heart. Many years later, he was invited to do a two-week audition and play at the Osesp (São Paulo State University). He later received an offer to stay permanently in the country, and in March 2005, he packed his bags in search of a new life.

"I feel very happy because, although I continue to be very proud of my roots, of my country, the one that saw me born, gave me an education, and all the musical and artistic traditions that Italy has, today I feel half Brazilian and have embraced this great nation," said the artist, who married a Brazilian woman and has a daughter. "I am much more Brazilian than many Brazilians," he assured.

Since arriving in São Paulo, Baldini has released more than 40 albums on a variety of labels, some of which have won awards, and has dedicated his efforts to recording Brazilian music, especially violin sonatas.

For the past five years, he has partnered with pianist and composer André Mehmari on the album "Conversas com Bach," based on Bach's famous "Chaconne." Last April, he released "Violins of Osesp." Now, he's expected to record an album featuring arrangements for two violins by Guilherme Pimenta for songs like Edu Lobo's "Beatriz."

The Italian has also been a conductor for 10 years and, between 2017 and 2020, was principal conductor of the Valdivia Chamber Orchestra in Chile. He currently conducts the Tatuí Conservatory Symphony Orchestra, is music director of the Ñuble Symphony Orchestra in Chile, and the Sphaera Mundi Orchestra in Porto Alegre. He also produces and hosts the weekly program "Contrastes" on Rádio Cultura FM in São Paulo. He is also, of course, the concertmaster of the Osesp (Brazilian Society of São Paulo), responsible for giving instructions to the musicians, tuning the orchestra before the concert, and performing violin solos.

For Baldini, "this variety of roles" has helped him "broaden his horizons as a musician" and never tire of working. "When I arrived in Brazil, I was an excellent violinist and orchestra leader. I was hired because of this, and little by little, I wanted to broaden my horizons, open my eyes, and begin to see the life of a musician in a broader perspective. So I began studying conducting and teaching at the same time," said the artist, who also enjoys the role of communicator promoting musical art.

"It's a diversification that's good, that gives me oxygen. I don't stick to just one activity, but I stay within the universe of music and art," he declared.

For Baldini, Brazil has a society that is "fundamentally courageous and bold" in proposing new things, while Italy boasts a great artistic tradition that provokes a "very strong influence" on musicians, while at the same time producing a "certain conservative mentality" and a "lack of boldness."

"I feel that Brazil is a huge fertile ground, where you can experiment and take risks. If it works, great. If it doesn't, too bad, we'll turn the page and move on to another idea," he concluded.