Artes Brasileiras: Musical Performances

Saturdays through September 28, 2019

1–4 p.m.

Listen to Brazil’s unique mix of indigenous, European, and African rhythms, from jazz and Tropicália to chamber music.

Performance Schedule

June 15:
Kay Lyra

Kay Lyra, a Brazilian vocalist, boasts an impeccable bossa nova pedigree. Her father, Carlos Lyra, is recognized as co-founder of the genre, alongside Antonio Carlos Jobim. Bringing a fresh, contemporary take to this iconic Brazilian sound, Lyra has captivated bossa nova fans everywhere with her “pure voice and impeccable phrasing.”
June 22:
Fabiana Masili

Fabiana Masili is a Brazilian-born singer/songwriter who plays a range of Brazilian music, including bossa nova, samba, maracatu, and forró, as well as jazz and rock. Based in New York City since 2003, she has performed at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, SummerStage, Joe’s Pub, Carnegie Hall, and Lincoln Center Out of Doors. Fabiana is also a dedicated teaching artist, sharing Brazilian music and culture with NYC students.
June 29:
PubliQuartet

Dedicated to presenting new works, PQ spans genres, expanding the techniques and aesthetic of the traditional string quartet with an innovative approach to contemporary classical, jazz, and world chamber music. Selected as the Metropolitan Museum’s 2016–17 MetLiveArts Ensemble-in-Residence, the group also received Chamber Music America’s 2015 ASCAP Adventurous Programming Award. Recent career highlights include performances at Lincoln Center, Wolf Trap, Carnegie Hall, Newport Jazz, and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
July 6:
Choro das 3

This virtuoso Brazilian ensemble—three sisters and their father—specializes in Choro, an original instrumental style born in 19th-century Rio de Janeiro. The group weaves flute, acoustic seven-string guitar, bandolim, clarinet, piano, and percussion into a joyful, jazzy groove. Well-known in Brazil from their eight critically acclaimed albums and frequent appearances at festivals and on national TV, for the past six years they’ve made annual tours in the US and Europe.
July 13
Os Clavelitos

Os Clavelitos, a New York-based “American Samba” band, creates original music combining traditional Brazilian rhythms (samba, baiao, bossa nova, and frevo) with English lyrics. With members from Brazil, Japan, and the U.S., the six-piece ensemble celebrates Brazil’s rich musical heritage in an eclectic mix of Latin, indie, jazz, pop, and folkloric styles.
July 20
O Kwarteto

O Kwarteto, presented in partnership with the International Brazilian Opera Company (IBOC), is a new string quartet of New York-based musicians from various cultural and musical backgrounds. The ensemble devotes itself to the performance of Brazilian music not traditionally written for or performed by string quartet.
July 27:
Casuarina

Since 2001, this irreverent, dynamic group has been the face of Rio de Janeiro’s new generation of samba—the genre at the heart of Brazil’s musical identity. Winners of the 2017 Brazilian Music Award for Best Samba Group, Casuarina has brought their “samba made in Brazil” to more than 20 countries, including Angola, Cuba, France, Holland, Israel, Italy, Portugal, the US, and the UK.
August 3:
Aline Muniz

With three acclaimed Brazilian albums, rising singer/songwriter Aline Muniz has been winning US fans since she opened for Demi Lovato at the ARD Foundation NYC Gala. Now living in NYC, Aline has performed at Joe’s Pub, Soho House, Live Nation Rooftop, Brasil Summerfest, and New York Fashion Week, showcasing her sophisticated compositions, sultry vocal style, and fresh global pop sound.
August 10 & 31; September 7:
Nanny Assis

Percussionist/singer/composer and Bahia native Nanny Assis is a master of bossa nova, Brazilian jazz, forró, and a myriad of Afro-Brazilian sounds. Based in New York, where he is a regular presence at venues such as the Blue Note, S.O.B.’s and Joe’s Pub, Nanny has delighted audiences around the world with his talent and charismatic stage presence.
August 17:
IBOC Brazilian Jazz Band

Formed in 2018 under the musical direction of bassist composer Marcelo Maccagnan, who holds dual degrees in Performance and Writing from Berklee College of Music, IBOC also features the lyrical and improvisational talents of master drummer Uka Gameiro from Pernambuco, Renan Henrique on guitar, and João MacDowell on keyboards. “A melting pot of samba and jazz with Brazilian flair.” –Jazz Corner
August 24:
Romero Lubambo

Romero’s guitar playing unites the styles and rhythms of his native Brazilian musical heritage with his fluency in the American jazz tradition to form a distinctive new sound. Lubambo has performed and recorded with many outstanding artists, including Dianne Reeves, Michael Brecker, Yo-Yo Ma, Kathleen Battle, Diana Krall, Herbie Mann, Wynton Marsalis, Paquito D’Rivera, among many others. He has also established himself as a composer and performer on his own critically acclaimed recording projects as well as on those of Trio Da Paz, a Brazilian jazz trio Lubambo formed with Nilson Matta and Duduka da Fonseca.
September 14:
Nation Beat

Nation Beat, an original American/Brazilian collective, fuses thunderous Brazilian maracatu drumming and New Orleans second line roots rhythms with audacious crowd-pleasing energy that gets people moving.
September 21:
João MacDowell

Born in Brasilia and based in NYC, João MacDowell is the creator and Artistic Director of the International Brazilian Opera Company (IBOC), and an award-winning composer whose work includes five operas, symphonic and chamber music as well as soundtracks for contemporary dance, film, TV, theater, and circus. He has also produced records for numerous artists, and as a performer has released four solo albums of Brazilian pop. In this exclusive performance at the NYBG, MacDowell returns to his bossa-nova roots, singing and playing acoustic guitar.