Senzálas, Maracatus e Quilombos musically portrays the importance of the African culture of Brazil during its establishment as a nation. In three sections, it shows the sadness of senzálas or “slave quarters” (places in the old farmhouses where slaves were kept in pain and yearning for freedom); the maracatu (Brazilian performance genre), one of the biggest contributions from African culture - both in its ritual and musical rhythm; and the combat of the quilombos (Maroons) for freedom, returning to the maracatu in the end. The piece portrays the violence of slavery, the resistance through the culture and the rhythms of the percussion, as well as the hope for freedom. 

Hudson Nogueira is a composer and conductor from São Paulo, Brazil who began his compositional career in 1995 at the age of twenty-seven. Since then, he has written for various ensembles in many styles and genres and has served as the resident composer for the Conservatório Dramático e Musical in São Paulo. All the while, his passion for Brazilian popular music has never left his side, which can often be found in some form or another in his works. 

Program note researched by Cameron Wilson