UW Music Professor Awarded Fulbright to Advance Scholarship on Brazilian Female Composers

Theresa Bogard, professor of music and keyboard area coordinator at the University of Wyoming, has been awarded a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award to conduct research and teach in Brazil during the 2025-26 academic year.

 

Bogard’s Fulbright project focuses on two of her areas of expertise -- piano pedagogy and Brazilian classical music -- and aims to expand international scholarship by exploring and sharing lesser-known works by Brazilian women composers. She is fluent in Brazilian Portuguese and has connected with music faculty across several Brazilian states throughout her career.

 

“My introduction to the depth and breadth of the canon of Brazilian music in 2007 permanently altered the direction of my research,” Bogard says. “I am honored to receive this Fulbright grant in order to continue my exploration of music by Brazilian women composers.”

 

Hosted by the University of the State of Rio de Janeiro (UniRio), the project combines intensive research, teaching, performance and recording.

 

The research component will examine solo piano and chamber works by Brazilian women composers, from 19th-century pioneers to contemporary voices. Bogard will conduct archival research at Música Brasilis in Rio de Janeiro and Instituto Piano Brasileiro in Brasília, two of the most significant collections of Brazilian classical music. She will analyze and select works for public performance and professional recording, focusing on pieces that have not been recorded previously. These recordings will be made available through the Instituto Piano Brasileiro’s website and YouTube channel.

 

At UniRio, Bogard will teach a comprehensive course in piano pedagogy designed to strengthen the technical and musical skills of Brazilian pianists. She also will serve as a guest lecturer in the university’s piano seminar series.

 

Additionally, Bogard’s research in Brazilian music has helped expand opportunities for UW students. She developed and taught a seminar focused on Brazilian classical composers and took 20 UW students for a two-week chamber music intensive at the Federal University of Goiás in May 2024. The course brought American and Brazilian students together in collaborative chamber music groups to deepen their understanding of Brazilian music.

 

With more than 30 years of experience in higher education and a national reputation in piano pedagogy, Bogard has long incorporated Brazilian classical music into her teaching and performance and continues to promote performances of art music by Brazilian composers. 

 

The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the U.S and those of other countries.

 

To learn more about Bogard’s project, email her at tbogard@uwyo.edu.