Leonam Reis received the highest honor of the 13th Ernani de Almeida Machado Award and won the scholarship for the foreign university of his choice; In this edition of FEMUSC, he plays in five concerts
The young musician Leonam Reis, 24, felt the transforming impact of the Santa Catarina Music Festival (Femusc) after participating in the free classes of the event in 2023. Last month, the clarinetist received the highest honor of the 13th prize Ernani de Almeida Machado: a scholarship of R$100,000 to deepen his studies abroad. This achievement came with the encouragement of Femusc, where the conductor and creator of the festival, Alex Klein, and teacher Laura Ruiz Ferreres motivated him to seek scholarships due to his musical excellence.
The award, offered by the São Paulo State School of Music (EMESP), took place at the last concert by the State Youth Orchestra, in December. With the prize of R$100,000, the clarinetist intends to enter the University of Frankfurt of Music and Performing Arts (HFMDK), in Germany, to do a master’s degree under the guidance of Professor Laura Ruiz Ferreres.
The participation of Leonam Reis in Femusc was decisive for his search for the scholarship, after all, according to him, the festival’s teachers believed in their potential. “Maestro Alex Klein, for example, was one of those who encouraged me the most to seek the Ernani de Almeida Machado award, promoted by Emesp, in São Paulo. I am absolutely grateful, says the clarinetist.
During FEMUSC 2025, Leonam will have a prominent participation. He will be a soloist in the Concert for Clarinet by Carl Nielsen, in the orchestral matinee on January 25th and will be part of four other performances throughout the festival, which takes place from January 12 to 25 at SCAR – Centro Cultural, in Jaraguá do Sul (SC).
