Bezerra, Márcio

Brazilian pianist Márcio Bezerra was born in Recife (1968) and received his early musical education in Santos. There, he studied piano with Leonor Salgado and Elisa Capocchi.

After receiving a Bachelor’s degree in São Paulo (1991), under the tuition of Gilberto Tinetti, he was granted scholarships by the University of Hartford and Fulbright Commission in order to start his graduate studies in the United States.

At the Hartt School, Mr. Bezerra studied with Luiz de Moura Castro, receiving in 1993 an Artist Diploma. During that same year, Arizona State University granted him a “Regent’s Scholarship” for the continuation of his studies. In 1995, he received a Master of Music degree from that institution, where he studied with Caio Pagano. Besides academic courses, Mr. Bezerra has participated in masterclasses (in Brazil, Europe, and the USA) of renowned musicians such as Ketil Haugsand, Nina Svetlanova, Fernando Laires, Peter Eischer, Edith Fischer, and Aquiles Delle-Vigne.

Márcio Bezerra has been often performing at several music halls of Brazil and the United States, being responsible for many premieres of distinguished composers. He has participated in several editions of the Festival Música Nova de Santos, always receiving good reviews in the press. In 1994, he made his orchestral debut with the renowned State Symphony of São Paulo, under the direction of Leon Botstein.

Among the several prizes he has received are the “Joseph Klatzkin” (USA) for the best performer of contemporary North American music, and the prize “Bridging the World,” granted by KLM (The Netherlands). Recently, two programs on the pianist were broadcast by Radio Cultura, Brazil’s major classical music station.

In May 1998, he received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Arizona, where he was granted several scholarships in order to research the subject of his doctoral dissertation — the piano music of Gilberto Mendes. Nowadays, Márcio Bezerra is an Adjunct Professor of Piano at Palm Beach Atlantic College (FL). He continues to conduct researches on contemporary music, as well as to perform, both solo and in duo with his wife, pianist Estibaliz Gastesi.