Bio
Born in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, I began my studies in jazz piano and music theory with Márvio Ciribelli, an influential pianist and bearer of the legacy of Antônio Adolfo, Luizinho Eça and Ian Guest—all masters of Brazilian jazz piano, theory and composition.
Composition & Orchestration
As a composer, I began my studies with Dr. Douglas Gordon, whose teacher studied with Richard Strauss, continuing with Dr. Robert Hart Baker (see "Conducting" below) and Dr. Dinu Ghezzo (New York University). Currently, I study composition and orchestration with Dr. Justin Dello Joio, who studied with Vincent Persichetti, Roger Sessions, and David Diamond. In regard to film and multimedia, I have participated in masterclasses with Jack Smalley (Charlie's Angels, Murder She Wrote) and Mark Snow (The X-Files, Smallville, One Tree Hill). I have also studied film orchestration with Scott Smalley (Batman, Mission: Impossible) and classical orchestration with Justin Dello Joio (NYU).
I began my conducting studies at Mars Hill College with Dr. Joel Reed (advanced choral) and Dr. Al Corley (advanced instrumental). After finishing college, I studied with Dr. Robert
Hart Baker, who was a student of Herbert von Karajan (at the Salzburg Mozarteum), Leonard Bernstein, Otto-Werner Mueller and Arthur Weisberg.
Later, as a conductor's assistant, I studied with Daniel Meyer, resident
conductor of the Asheville and Pittsburg symphony orchestras. I have also participated in a masterclass series with Yeruham Scharovsky, who was directing the Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil at the time.
I currently study conducting with Dr. Dinu Ghezzo, who directed the New York University Symphony Orchestra for some twenty years, and with David Wroe, its current director.
Moving to the United States in
1998, I studied classical piano with Dr. Robin Garner at Mars Hill
College, North Carolina, from where I graduated summa cum laude in May of 2004. Later, I continued my
studies with Dewitt Tipton, a student of Kenneth Drake and John
Wustman, who works regularly for New York City's Metropolitan Opera and
is the founding director of the Asheville Symphony Chorus.
Through
this dedicated study of classical piano, combined with the knowledge
and continual practice of jazz, I developed a pianistic technique which
allows me to exist in both worlds, sometimes simultaneously. I have met
Dave Brubeck, Ellis Marsalis, Gene Bertoncini, Alex Malheiros, Márcio
Bahia, and other important names in the jazz music world—and have
"jammed" with some of them! Today, I continue my studies in jazz piano
with Don Friedman
at New York University. In early 2004, I founded Bossa Nossa Trio, an ensemble
specialized in authentic Brazilian music. The trio was very successful
for a number of years, until I dissolved it in order to focus completely
on my studies—especially conducting, orchestration and composition. In
2007, I returned to the stage with a new ensemble, Banda Movimento, which despite its
heavy Brazilian influence, expands in style and repertoire into most of
South America, especially Argentina. Our performances included diverse
styles such as samba, bossa, frêvo, baião, bolero, tango, milonga, and
fusions of the aforementioned styles.
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