Matheus Cabral, from Ipojuca (PE), caught the attention of professors at the Santa Catarina International Music Festival and seeks to study abroad
At the age of 16, Matheus Cabral from Pernambuco is one of the highlights of the Advanced Double Bass Course at the Santa Catarina International Music Festival, which is in its 20th edition. The young man from Ipojuca, who participates for the first time in the festival, got to know the music for three years and already demonstrates the potential for international training, evaluates Professor Gustavo Dippolito.
“Matheus is a very young and applied boy who has an unusual talent. He still takes few classes and has already reached a very high level. I believe that with more structure, support and guidance, he will get very far.”
Since the age of 13, Matheus has been part of the Criança Cidadã Orchestra, a social program that operates in the neighborhood of Camela, in Ipojuca. According to him, the project is an initiative to bring music to needy communities, often affected by violence and difficulties. The goal is to get young people out of crime and drugs through music. “I entered the project without any experience, but over time I discovered a passion”. By doing high school full-time, he only attends the project’s classes every 15 days, but seeks to impose the same technical rigidity by studying the instrument at home.
In the last three years, the young man has overcome the various challenges of the musical journey. “When I started on the double bass, I had zero skills and it was very difficult – I almost had to change the instrument, because I couldn’t adapt.
At the end of 2024, Matheus was invited to take classes at the Pernambuco Conservatory of Music, located in Recife, about 70 km from his city. Currently, the young person appears only once a week at the site, due to the travel distance. Professor Gustavo Dippolito highlights that Matheus would be essential to get financial support to live closer to the capital, deepening musical studies.
Matheus dreams of winning, in the future, an international scholarship. “I had a very closed head, but participating in festivals, like Femusc, opened my mind, because I met people from outside and the teachers said I have a lot of potential if I study,” he says. “My goal now is to give my family a better condition and take the name of the place where I live in the world.”
about FEMUSC
Through the Culture Incentive Law (Rouanet Law), Ministry of Culture and the Federal Government, FEMUSC is sponsored by the companies WEG, Rede Itaú, Grupo Elian, BTG Pactual, Duas Rodas, Martinelli Advogados and Zanotti, and the support of the companies Agricopel, Auto Elite, Urbano Alimentos, WPA, UniSociesc and IFSC Santa Catarina – Campus Jaraguá do Sul – Centro – Santa Catarina. FEMUSC is organized by SCAR – Cultural Center, Instituto Femusc and City Hall of Jaraguá do Sul.
