Conductor Benito Juarez died in the early hours of Monday (3), in São Paulo at the age of 86. He leaves five children and grandchildren. There is still no precise information about his burial. The son, André Juarez, posted the following message on a social network: “My friends, I announce the death of my beloved father, maestro Benito Juarez. Rest in peace, Baxoca. I will always honor his name. Lots of strength, kid.”
“We deeply regret the loss not only of the artist and the teacher, but above all of the citizen who knew how to translate into his work the spirit of our time and the need to bring culture to all layers of society”, said rector Marcelo Knobel. “Benito was a fundamental personality for the development of arts and culture in Campinas, favoring its dissemination to the population in general, a pioneer in this type of activity, and who certainly contributed to bringing people closer to the city’s heritage, which is the Municipal Orchestra", he added.
At Unicamp, Benito Juarez was one of the founders of the Institute of Arts, in the 1970s, when it was just the University's Music Department. He was also one of the creators of the Brazilian Popular Music (MPB) course, the first in Brazil and the only one offered at a public university in the State of São Paulo. Its importance, however, goes beyond the campus gates. It can be gauged by its important performance in the city of Campinas and in Brazil. The maestro was conductor of the Campinas Symphony Orchestra for 25 years and made history when he conducted the concert during the direct elections for the Presidency of the Republic, in 1984, invited by the Movimento Diretas Já.
Benito Juarez had been retired from Unicamp for more than 20 years, when he also left his activities at the Campinas Orchestra. According to the vice-rector of Extension and Culture at Unicamp, Fernando Hashimoto, the maestro was one of the great promoters of the popularization of the Symphony Orchestra and choirs. Hashimoto has been involved with the Orchestra and conductor for 16 years. “When I joined the Symphony in 1996, it was considered one of the main orchestras in the country. It maintained a team of very good professionals and was very stable”, says the dean.
One of the maestro's striking characteristics was his diverse repertoire. It included compositions by several Brazilian artists such as, for example, Hermeto Paschoal and Milton Nascimento. In this sense, the orchestra brought fame to the city of Campinas and also showed the importance of valuing not only the classical repertoire, but also popular music composers.
“I played as a musician at the Campinas Symphony for many years with Maestro Benito Juarez, and I also lived with him at Unicamp”, said the dean of Extension and Culture at Unicamp, Fernando Hashimoto. “I can highlight two important highlights of his career: his commitment to performing and recording the national repertoire, and his work in bringing popular and classical music together.”
Campinas City Hall declared official mourning in the city for three days. In a statement, Mayor Jonas Donizete declared: "My condolences to the family, friends and thousands of admirers."
On the Unicamp Arts Institute page there is a space to send expressions of condolence. Follow.
Watch Video to videos with presentations by maestro Benito Juarez available on TV Unicamp's YouTube.
Read a statement from professor Paulo Ronqui, director of the Unicamp Arts Institute:
"In the year in which we celebrate the golden jubilee of the Unicamp Arts Institute (2020-2021), today we had this sad news of the passing of Maestro Benito Juarez, one of the founders of IA.
Thanks to the vision of the Magnificent Rector of that time, Prof. Dr. Zeferino Vaz, the commitment and resilience of Maestro Benito, together with the composer Hanz Koellreutter and violinist Natan Schwartzman, the Department of Music, a matter cell of the Unicamp Arts Institute, was founded in 1971.
In particular, I have lived with Maestro Benito since 1995, being his student in the “Orchestral Practice” discipline of the Music Course. In 1996 I was a scholarship-monitor for instrument teaching at the Unibanda Project (NIDIC – current CIDDIC). In 1997, at the invitation of Maestro Benito himself, I went on a tour with the group “Carcará” to the USA and Japan presenting Brazilian music for a different instrumental formation, under his leadership. At the end of my course here at Unicamp (1998), I passed the Campinas Municipal Symphony Orchestra (OSMC) competition, where I remained until 2011. Many of those years with Maestro Benito as Artistic Director and Principal Conductor.
The determination and desire to do everything I can for Art is what I will take as a memory of Maestro Benito."
Read more articles published in Jornal da Unicamp:
The Institute of Arts and its 40 years
The institute governed by the praxis of the arts
