Wellington-based songstress Alda is joined by four guest musicians from Brazil for this rare concert of regional Brazilian music. Virtuoso guitarists Weber Lopes and Kristoff Silva, and gifted percussionist André ‘Limão’ Queiroz have flown over especially for the concert, thanks to a unique exchange with the Brazilian government.
The concert will feature music from the Minas Gerais region, where all the musicians are from. The music of the region is very rich harmonically. A result of ethnic mixture, African drumming, and folklore, it is also influenced by classical and baroque music, as well as jazz and pop.
This event is co-sponsored by the Ministry of External Relations of Brazil and supported by the government of Minas Gerais and the City Council of Belo Horizonte.
More about the artists
Alda Rezende – Singer, Songwriter
In her home country of Brazil, Alda Rezende is something of a household name. Having lived in New Zealand for three years, she is now a New Zealand resident.
Alde Rezende’s deep and sultry voice blends with elegant and introspective arrangements that overflow with smooth contrasting colours and textures, with her blended styles of bossa nova, jazz, samba, electronica and pop.
Learned in both classical and contemporary forms, and a finalist in the prestigious Brazilian Music Awards Premio Visa de Musica, she has been the operatic soloist accompanied by a symphonic orchestra, performed in an electronic music festival, interpreted works by John Cage and sung alongside some of the most traditional old style samba groups in Brazil.
In New Zealand Alda has worked Wellington's jazz circuit with collaborator Jonathan Crayford, taken the electronica route with a guest spot on The Nomad's Step 4th album and recently performed and recorded on the music and cultural exchange OE:Brazil, a collaboriation of New Zealand and Brazilian artists
Kristoff Silva – Multi-instrumentalist
Kristoff Silva was born in the United States, and grew up in Minas Gerais, Brazil. He is highly regarded as a guitarist, singer, songwriter, composer, and lecturer in music.
Playing music since the age of eight, Silva has always had a passion and fascination with the uniqueness of Brazilian songs. Over the last 14 years Kristoff has played with many great Brazilian musicians and singers. He has palyed with the Minas Gerais Symphony Orchestra and the percussion group UAKTI.
During his career Silva has won prizes in some of the Brazilian’s biggest musical awards in various categories. He has written many pieces for important theatre companies in Brazil (Amatrux, Oficina Galpao And Seraque Company).
Silva’s album "En pé no Porto" has been acclaimed as one of the best Brazilian contemporary albums in 2005/2006, and recorded and broadcast by the (Rede) Minas of Television Network and transmitted by the Inconfidência Radio.
He has provided musical direction for a number of other artists and recordings including Alda Rezende’s CD “Samba Solto”.
Lenis Rino - Percussionist
Percussionist Lenis Rino is one of Brazil’s leading exponents of Afro-Brazilian maracuta rhythm. Born in Rio, Rino has been also inflenced by living in Recife (the birthplace of the maracatu), and the states of Minas Gerais, Paraiba and Sao Paulo.
In Sao Paulo Rino studied percussion and improvisation at Universidade Livre de musica”, djembe at Nucleo de percussao Paulo Campos, and drums at Escola de musica Phill.
Rino is the founder and musical director of maracatu percussion group Trovao das Minas, and percussion orchestra Elefante Groove. Elefante Groove plays instruments from all over the world and works with Brazilian rhythms, Cuban, African and tribal percussion. Elefante Groove has opened for groups such as Manu Chao and the living legend Hermeto Paschoal.
Most recently Lenis has worked with Rinoceronte Live System a percussion and electronic band that mixes Brazilian rhythms with reggae, raga, drum n bass and dub.
Rino composes extensively for theatre, dance and circus, has won many awards, and regularly leads workshops where he teaches maracatu and percussion improvisation.
André “Limão” Queiroz - Percussionist
From a long line of musicians, Limão started studying music when he was six, learning trumpet with his father. At the age of nine he took up percussion and has studied with some of the cream of Brazilian and international drums and percussion masters, such as Ron Carter, Jose Eduardo Nazario, Grupo Uakti, Billy Cobam, and Dave Wreckl.
Since 1985 Limão has been in high demand, working with some of the biggest names in Brazilian music, such as Milton Nascimento, Lo Borges, Toninho Horta, Juarez Moreira, Arthur Maia, touring throughout Brazil, and in South Africa and Europe. In 2007 he won the prized BDMG award for instrumental music.
A respected teacher with over 20 years experience, Limão is a professor of drums at the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Brazil, and has his own school of percussion and drumming, giving workshops on Brazilian rhythms all over Brazil.
Limão has recently released an album entitled Renascimento, with musician Robertinho Brant, interpreting several Milton Nascimento songs.
Weber Lopez - Guitarist
One of Brazil’s most inventive guitarists, and a talented composer and arranger, Weber Lopez was born in Guanhães, Minas Gerais – Brazil. He began to explore the possibilities of the guitar at around age eleven, and his passion for the instrument lead him along the path of Brazilian instrumental music. Some time later he began his studies at Fundação Clóvis Salgado, in Belo Horizonte, and continued his music studies at the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais.
He has played, in shows and recordings, beside many of Brazil’s most highly regarded artists, and has toured to music and jazz festivals throughout Brazil, and internationally to United Arab Emirates, Italy, Lithuania, Finland, France, Germany and Switzerland.
In 1999 he launched his first solo album, “Flor do Tempo”, achieving great success among both the public and critics. The album entered the Jazz top ten list, alongside names including Nivaldo Ornelas, Pat Metheny and Joshua Redman. He has recently released his second album “MAPA”.
A multi-award winner as a musician and composer, Weber has twice won the Pró-Música award for music in Minas Gerais: as an instrumentalist in 1998, and in 2000 for best CD (Violões do Horizonte). In 2001 he was a semi-finalist in the IV VISA Awards for Brazilian Music - Instrumental Category. In 2004 he was awarded the IV BDMG Award for Instrumental Music.