Whether it’s a backdrop or a major driving force in our lives, music plays a big role in the human experience. But not everyone has the same access to music education and exposure.
Realizing this, Brazil’s Heliópolis’ symphony orchestra, or Sinfônica Heliópolis, joined forces with Hungry Man Productions to make headlines in a country obsessed with soccer. Not only did their efforts pay off in a major way, it culminated in an official theme song for Sao Paulo’s Major League.
In a short film titled “Orchestra Game Changer,” we learn about the song’s journey from conception to its live debut ahead of the Paulista Championship. Featuring behind-the-scenes footage of the songwriting process and the lead-up to the big performance, the film chronicles how a group with minimal resources managed to cleverly tap into one of the biggest platforms in Brazil.
Founded by composer Silvio Baccarelli in 1996, the Center for Music was born in Heliópolis, then Latin America’s second largest favela. The center has since been a game changer for thousands of students and saw the birth of an orchestra that gained global renown. The Sinfônica Heliópolis is believed to be the first orchestra born out of an impoverished Latin American community, challenging societal ideas around who gets to enjoy and create classical music.
Still, classical music has sparse representation in Brazil, and bringing it to the greater populace presents its own challenges.
Realizing Sao Paulo’s league didn’t have its own official theme song, they leaned into the opportunity to craft a soaring original tune. HungryMan then invited the Brazilian composer Antonio Pinto to write a song alongside other musicians from the Sinfônica Heliópolis. This was to become Sao Paulo’s State Championship theme, granting the orchestra an unprecedented level of visibility and bringing classical music to the forefront.
The strategy resulted in international headlines—with ESPN and MSN among others covering it—which the film claims amounted to an estimated $690,000 worth of earned media after just one game. Now, each time the song plays, Sinfônica Heliópolis garners even more visibility without having to spend a dime on marketing.
