Choral conductor ‘explores’ world of early music

The words on her degree will read “Doctor of Music in Choral Conducting,” but Cinthia Alireti relates her studies to a different profession.\n“I’m an archaeologist,” Alireti said. “I want to explore, to try a lot of stuff. I have time to refine when I’m older.”\nAlireti displays a strong element of diversity in her own line of work. Besides choral conducting, Alireti performs on the harpsichord, sings and knows how to play the piano and guitar.\nAlireti’s career goal was not always music-related, however. The Sao Paulo, Brazil native entered Sao Paulo University to study publicity.\n“I decided to study something ‘normal,’ ” Alireti said. A year later, she entered the field of music, earning undergraduate degrees in both fields. “I wanted always to have something to create, so musical composition was good at the time.”\nAfter completing her undergraduate studies, Alireti left Brazil and came to IU intending to study voice. She said she later realized she could conduct better than she could sing.\n“At that time I just wanted to follow my fiancé,” Alireti said. While he went back to Brazil, Alireti decided to stay in the US, where she said studying music involves more variety, infrastructure and people to play in ensembles than in her native country. \nIara Fricke Matte, a fellow choral conducting doctoral student from Brazil, said she admires Alireti’s unique willingness to take on new projects and search for new music.\n“I think that shows a lot of her personality as a leader,” Fricke Matte said. \nAlthough Alireti said she enjoys the challenge of being a conductor, the hardest part of the field is the many roles conductors must fill. Alireti said conductors must not only know the music well, but have to communicate the ideas in their minds to musicians and fulfill management tasks. \nAlireti said she is able to use her Brazilian background to influence her conducting and help her understand music from the Baroque era.\n“Portuguese is very close to Spanish, Italian and French,” she said. “It’s a lot easier for me to hone the articulation.”\nAlireti’s musical attention currently centers on her work with IU’s Early Music Institute, which studies historical performance of music before the year 1800. She began a class with harpsichord professor Elisabeth Wright in basso continuo, a bass line accompaniment standard during the 1600s and 1700s, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. Although Alireti entered the class to understand the Baroque era, she left with a love for early music.\n“It’s less competitive and more like a social ribbon,” Alireti said of early music. “It’s less about the leadership and more about making the group an organization.”\nAlireti will stay true to her interest in early music this summer when she conducts a Baroque opera with Anima e Corpo Ensemble, an ensemble she created. The group performed two operas and gave other performances this past year. Her plans after graduating from IU are less certain, though Alireti said her dream is to get a job in Europe, especially Italy.\n“I just need to have my ideas happening,” she said.