Brazilian pianist Érico Freire Bezerra is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Accompanying and Chamber Music at the Eastman School of Music, under the guidance of Dr. Andrew Harley. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Rio Grande do Sul Federal University (UFRGS) in Brazil and his Master’s degree from Illinois State University. Érico has been a prizewinner in numerous piano competitions, including the Orquestra Sinfônica de Goiânia Young Soloist Competition, where he performed Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major. In 2023, he received 2nd place in the 41st Annual Jesse Kneisel Lieder Competition and The Barbara M. H. Koeng Award for Vocal Accompanying at Eastman.

Since the beginning of his DMA, Érico participated in many music festivals, including the 2022 Toronto Summer Music Art of Song, and Music on Site.Inc (MOSI) 2022 where he served as Music Director in the opera Suor Angelica. Last summer, he attended the 2023 Aspen Music Festival and School as a fellow in the Vocal Collaboration program. In 2024, Érico attended the Cincinnati Song Initiative and worked as a collaborative pianist for the Finger Lakes Opera and Endless Mountain Music Festival.

Since 2015, Érico has served as a staff collaborative pianist at UFRGS in Porto Alegre/Brazil. He  is a recipient of the Fulbright/CAPES Scholarship and currently holds Graduate Assistantships in Studio Accompanying and Orchestral Keyboard at Eastman.