Dr. Marion Verhaalen, a faculty member of the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music and member of the School Sisters of St. Francis of Milwaukee, holds a doctorate degree from Teachers College at Columbia University and is an experienced teacher of music. A scholar of Brazilian composers, Verhaalen has traveled widely in Brazil on research and teaching trips. In 1969, Verhaalen spent ten months in Brazil sponsored by a grant from the Organization of American States to conduct research for her dissertation on composers Camargo Guarnieri (1907-1993) and Francisco Mignone (1897-1986). Both Guarnieri and Mignone were distinguished composers, performing their works in Brazil and internationally. Verhaalen interviewed the two extensively, studied their various musical works and influence on Brazilian music, and also collected music from other twentieth-century Brazilian composers on her first and subsequent trips in Brazil.
In 1970, Verhaalen organized a four-day music festival at Alverno College in Milwaukee in honor of Camargo Guarnieri and twentieth-century Brazilian music. The composer attended at Verhaalen’s request. Verhaalen’s dissertation, entitled The Solo Piano Music of Francisco Mignone and Camargo Guarnieri, was published the following year. She has since authored and co-authored a number of books on Brazilian music, including a biography, Camargo Guarnieri: expressões de uma vida (2001) and an analysis of his composition and style, Camargo Guarnieri, Brazilian Composer: A Study of His Life and Works (2005). Verhaalen has also published several articles for musical publications and has composed piano music of her own.
From the guide to the Marion Verhaalen Collection on Camargo Guarnieri and Twentieth Century Brazilian Music 2004-36., 1923-2004, (Benson Latin American Collection, The University of Texas at Austin)
