Biography
Fernando
Calixto was born in Uberaba
on 27 July 1984. He began his musical education in Frutal
a small town in the sate of Minas
Gerais where his family had moved to
a few years earlier with Prof. Eliane Lacerda. Upon
returning to his hometown, he went on to receive lessons from
Prof. Silvio Robazzi at Renato
Frateschi Conservatory and, in 2002
was accepted to Universidade de
Brasilia (UnB), where he graduated
with a Bachelor’s degree in 2006 having studied with Alla
Dadaian, Daniel Tarquínio and Jaci Toffano. The
following year he moved to Russia having planed an internship for
the duration of two months at the N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov Saint
Petersburg State Conservatory, one of the most traditional
educational institutions in the world and the first conservatory
to be opened in Russia. Nevertheless, after the entrance
examinations, and despite never having gone through the
Preparatory Course which is generally indispensable for admission,
he was invited to continue his studies, starting directly from the
third year. In
2010, Calixto became Master of Piano and was awarded the red
diploma, granted only to students who scored maximum points on the
final federal exams. At
this time, he graduated in Piano Performance from the Class of
Nadezhda Eysmont, Chamber Music from the Class of Ivan Mikhailov,
and Piano Accompaniment from the Class of Irina Kusonskaya. In
2013, he obtained the title of Doctor of Excellence in Piano
Performance from the same conservatory and, from 2010 to 2013 was
engaged as Assistant Professor to Nadezhda Eysmont. Currently
Calixto advances his career both as soloist and chamber musician,
performing through South America and Europe (Brazil, Ecuador,
Chile, Russia, Italy, Hungary, and others). The
pianist is also renowned for his work in the pedagogical field and
as a piano teacher. He has given Master Classes and prepared
students for concerts, exams and competitions. Recently he was
invited to Quito, Ecuador to give Master Classes at the Fundación
Casa de la Musica and the
Conservatorio Mozart,
and on October 2010, at Universidad
Mayor in Santiago, Chile where he
also performed at the Temporada
Internacional de Música Clásica 2010 “Bicentenario:
Chile y el Mundo”. He was jury
for the 20th
International Dimitri Skostakovich Competition for young Pianists
in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Fernando was
professor for the Department of Music, Universidade
de Brasilia (UnB) from 2015 to 2017.