The four strings of 34-year-old Mary Rodrigues' violin have taken her far. The former resident of Americana, in the interior of São Paulo, competes for the award Best of Brazil in Europe, in the show/entertainment category, due to his work with music in Italy.
Mary performs at the Vatican as a guest of the Rome Diocese Orchestra and also provides the soundtrack for marriage proposals at tourist attractions.
Of Italian descent, he moved to Rome in 2016, where he obtained his degree. Italian citizenshipThere, he deepened his studies of music in Saint Louis College of Music and completed a master's degree in IT, his second area of professional activity.
But her passion for music prevailed. "Classical music has European origins; the greatest composers are here. It was enriching," she commented about her experience. musical training in Italy.
Catholic, Mary began attending open rehearsals at the Rome Orchestra. “It combined two things that I consider very important, faith and music. For me, it’s a way of praying,” she believes.
Taking advantage of the rehearsals, I frequently asked the members about new vacancies and auditions to join the orchestra. With that, she ended up meeting the musicians who made up the group.
When auditions were opened in 2018, Mary was selected to the list of special guests of the Orchestra of the Diocese of Rome. Since then, she has been called to participate in religious events and festivals. Mary has played, for example, at the Christmas concert, Palm Sunday and Easter.
“Every time I play at the Vatican I I feel the presence of God. There’s no way to describe the feeling, just being there”, said the violinist, to the Liberal newspaper.
Romance
Many Brazilians choose Italy to propose, and look for a special soundtrack for that moment. Mary's violin has already packed several proposals, bringing a repertoire full of romance and songs important to the couple's history.
“Initially the groom looks for me and it's still a secret, no one knows anything: the girlfriend, family, friends, just me. It’s an honor, and I often become friends with the couple afterwards,” said Mary.
The violinist is also sought after to play at Brazilian weddings in Italy, which combine the ceremony with the honeymoon in Europe.
Awards
The Best of Brazil in Europe award is organized by High Profile magazine. Mary sent her biography and videos of her work. The judges nominated her to compete for the award, which has two phases. The first is by popular vote, available on the bestofbrazilawards.com/post/mary-rodrigues until April.
The most voted in each category will automatically participate in the awards ceremony, which takes place on June 11th at Torre Eiffel, in France. The final decision of the winners will be made by the judges. The award is considered the “Oscar” of the Brazilian community abroad. (With information from O Liberal)
