GUILHERME GONÇALVES

Born in Rio de Janeiro, Guilherme Gonçalves began his musical studies in 1977 at the Villa-Lobos Music School, with Edgard Rocca. He graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston, USA, in 1986, where he also studied drums with Alan Dawson and Gary Chaffee and symphonic percussion with Dean Anderson. In the USA he played with various jazz and Latin music groups.                     

Back in Brazil, as a percussionist he worked with the National Symphony Orchestra, the Municipal Theater Orchestra, the Rio de Janeiro Pro-Music Orchestra and the Parana Symphony Orchestra. He performed at the 1989 and 1993 Biennials of Contemporary Music. As a drummer, he performed with several popular music groups and artists such as the Tabajaras Orchestra, the Rio Jazz Orchestra, the Rio Dixieland Jazz Band, The MPB Orchestra of Curitiba, Juarez Araujo, Idriss Boudrioua, Pascoal Meirelles, Ileana Carneiro, Chico Oliveira, Marvio Ciribelli, Leo Jaime, Bibi Ferreira, etc. Since 2005 he has been performing with his own Quartet.                     

As educator, he has been a professor of percussion at the Villa-Lobos Music School in Rio de Janeiro since 1986. In 1994, he started the drums and percussion course at the Brazilian Popular Music Conservatory in Curitiba where he taught until 2000. In 1999, he was the chair of the Percussion Course at the State University of Rio de Janeiro - UERJ where, in 2000, he was coordinator of the 1st Percussion Festival of UERJ / RJ.                     

Still in the educational area, Mr Gonçalves participated in several courses and clinics in Brazil, with emphasis on the Maringá Opera Studio, MPB Workshop in Itajaí, and the Music Camps of Curitiba where in 1999, coordinated the 1st Meeting of Popular Percussion of Curitiba. Abroad, he also gave clinics in Boston, Los Angeles, Drummers Collective in New York and Chicago.                     

He wrote two drum books: O Ritmo Pelas Subdivisões with Edgard Rocca and O Batuque Carioca in partnership with Odilon Costa.

In 2004 he co-authored the samba song for the Escola de Samba Mangueira, the most popular samba school in Rio.

He acted as Judge of the percussion ensemble issue in 2006, 2007 and 2008 school of samba parades at Vitória / ES. Nowadays, he is a chronicler of the website Carnavalesco, the most important web page about the carnival, where he analyzes the percussion ensemble of the samba schools of Rio de Janeiro.

In 2007 he was the founder of Escangalha, a carnival group, where he remained as Master of Drums until 2011.

In 2014, he realized the Short film Batuque (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pecr-G05Dbs) that was presented during the World Cup in Brazil.

In 2018 along with Odilon Costa launched tIn 2018 along with Odilon Costa launched the course O Batuque Carioca Online almost 10 hours of recordings.

EMANUEL SANTOS

Actor, producer, director and author of theatrical texts, Emanuel Santos had participated in several dramaturgy competitions among them, Novos Dramaturgos do Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil. He directed the series of plays Eu Não sou um Poeta, Sou um Malabarista with Poet Jorge Salomão. He directed the musicals Clementina de Jesus and O Rancho das Sereias, with text and songs by Nei Lopes. He directed and produced the play Sapo Vira Rei Vira Sapo, written by Ruth Rocha and the musical O Menino Navegador with songs of the composer Ronaldo Mota. He was awarded the MEC Mambembe Award in 1979 for Best Actor for the play O Elefante. He was part of the Hombu theater group for children and adolescents, also awarded with awarded the MEC Mambembe. From 2005 to 2011 he was coordinator of the program Arte na Escola and Bonecos em Cena where artists taught the art of theater and puppets for children of public schools.

SINGERS


Edu Silva, began his career in 1989, singing in Rio de Janeiro clubs and also accompanying his father at a Carnival balls. Mr Silva has already passed through several Samba Schools of Rio de Janeiro’s carnival, such as União da Ilha do Governador, Unidos da Tijuca, Porto da Pedra and others. As a composer, he co-authored samba at the Porto da Pedra samba school in 2003.

Thaís Motta, is one of the most active singers in Rio de Janeiro. She presents both in Jazz and Bossa Nova Festivals. In 2004, Thaís was in China with the Samba Roots group, singing in Shenzen and Shenyang. Mrs Motta also recorded with members of the Dutch Focus Group.

Valdeir Valença has a long career in samba. From the age of 10 he was already participating in samba parties with his family. He was a member of the group Batuque de Crioulo where he had the pleasure of recording with Reinaldo and Luizinho SP. Valdeir performed with artists such as: Arlindo Cruz, Sombrinha, Jovelina Pérola Negra, Luiz Carlos da Vila and others. Mr Valença teaches at Encontro das Artes.

STRING

Diogo Cunha is one of the most required seven string guitar player in Rio de Janeiro. He has performed with practically all of the great samba artists. From Zeca Pagodinho to Beth Carvalho, through Jorge Aragão, Elza Soares, Emílio Santiago, Dudu Nobre, Arlindo Cruz, Almir Guineto, and many others.

Carlinhos do Cavaco is a self-taught musician. In addition to playing with artistis such as João Nogueira, Martinho da Vila and Neguinho da Beija-Flor, Carlinhos has already performed at the most important samba schools in Rio de Janeiro, such as Portela, Vila Isabel, Beija-Flor.

Santista Carlos, from São Paulo, is a performer and a producer. He has played with many important Brazilian samba artists such as: Elza Soares, Arlindo Cruz, Dudu Nobre, Reinaldo, Almir Guineto, Marquinhos Satã, Wilson Moreira, Sombrinh; and has already produced and arranged 16 CDs.

DRUMS

Formed by percussionists from different schools in Rio de Janeiro, this drums section is characterized by its versatility. Everybody plays different instruments and they also know the characteristic and the rhythm of each samba school of the Rio de Janeiro’s carnival. Almost the same group since the first assembly in 2012 it is formed by: Rocyr Abbud, Georgia Camara, Isabela Iung, Raphael Guerra, Claudio Cunha, Luis Alfredo da Luz, Eduardo Eugênio, Julio Cesar, Maria Eduarda Vilela, Rodrigo Ribeiro, Washington Andrade, Eduardo Ramos, Maninho Z10, Master Odilon Costa, Thayane Catanhêde and Vinicius Pit.

SPECIAL GUESTS

Choreographers Yara Barbosa, has worked for more than 10 years for different samba schools such as Beija-Flor, Império Serrano, Viradouro and Grande Rio.

Our special guests include Selminha SorrisoZ and his Ballroom Master ClaudinhoMS. Our master of Ceremonies Manoel Dionísio, besides a dancer, is a founder of one of the most important projects of the Carioca Carnival: The School of Porta Bandeiras and Mestre Salas.