Douglas Lora

Biography

Three-time Grammy nominee guitarist and composer Dr. Douglas Lora Las Casas transits with versatility through the universes of Classical and Popular Music, and has established himself as one of the most prominent artists of his generation. With a wide range of musical possibilities, Douglas has collaborated with renowned artist such as YoYo Ma, Paquito d’Rivera, Assad Brothers, Anat Cohen, Marco Pereira, Jovino Santos Neto, Ney Rosauro, Marina Piccinini, Paulo Bellinati, among others.
A member of the awarded Brasil Guitar Duo for over twenty years, Douglas has performed extensively at the most important theaters and concert halls in the United States, Europe, Asia and Latin America. He has appeared as soloist with major orchestras such as the Dallas Symphony, Houston Symphony, Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas (New York City), Delaware Symphony, Sphinx Organization Orchestra, Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo (Brasil) and Aukso Orchestra (Poland).
With several premiere recordings, including the complete works for two guitars by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco and Leo Brouwer (Naxos), Brasil Guitar Duo’s latest album with the Delaware Symphony conducted by David Amado (featuring two premiere recordings of concerti by Paulo Bellinati and Leo Brouwer) was nominated for a Latin Grammy as “Best Classical Music Album”, in 2018.
Also a member of the critically acclaimed Trio Brasileiro, Douglas Lora Las Casas has spread the fundaments of Brazilian Popular music as a teacher, performer and composer through Europe and the United States. Trio Brasileiro’s latest album ,“Rosa dos Ventos,” recorded with Israeli clarinetist Anat Cohen, was nominated for the 60th Grammy Awards as “Best World Music Album” in 2018.

Douglas is the Guitar Teacher of the Choro Workshop at the Centrum Foundation, in Port Townsend, Washington since 2011. Since 2023, he has been acting as Artistic Director. His teaching experiences date from a young age in Brazil and was consolidated in the United States as a Teaching Assistant at the University of Miami, as well as guitar teacher at the Miami Conservatory of Music from 2004 to 2006. In 2023, He earned his Doctoral of Musical Arts degree at the University of Southern California under Scott Tennant, being the recipient of a Teaching Assistant scholarship. Dr. Douglas Lora Las Casas has been the guitar instructor and course coordinator at California State University Fullerton since August, 2023.
As a composer and arranger, Lora’s work has been recorded/performed by the Brasil Guitar Duo, Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, Trio Brasileiro, Quaternaglia, Camerata de Violões Projeto Guri, Orquestra Jovem Tom Jobim. He also composed two film scores in Brazil and a Concerto for Mandolin and Guitar Orchestra, recently commissioned by Camerata Infanto Juvenil do Programa Guri Santa Marcelina (São Paulo). One of many stellar reviews include Classical Guitar Magazine (Steve Marsh) about Lora’s pieces recorded in “Bom Partido” by the Brasil Guitar Duo: “(…)The original compositions by Lora comfortably stand alongside the ‘big names’ on the rest of the program and are well crafted and very appealing.” Douglas Lora has more than fifteen albums in his discography playing solos, duos, trios, and in larger ensembles such as the Brazilian folk band, Caraivana, and duets with Spanish singer Irene Atienza.
SPECIALITIES:
Brazilian music
Improvisation
Composing
Arranging
Career advising
Styles: samba, bossa nova, Brazilian folk rhythms, Villa-Lobos
LANGUAGES:
English, Portuguese, Spanish