by Dr. Ceylon Mitchell II | Sep 14, 2024
Explore the imaginative and intriguing melodies of Brazilian choro with an evening celebrating the genre’s most influential composer, Alfredo da Rocha Viana Filho, also known as Pixinguinha. Alongside a remarkable guest ensemble, faculty member Ceylon Mitchell guides us through this Afro-Brazilian genre as we sample some of the most famous choros composed by Pixinguinha and his contemporaries.
Location: Levine Music DC Campus: NW + Online
Free for Levine Students
About Brazilian Choro
Choro emerged as a distinct musical genre around the middle of the 19th Century in Rio de Janeiro as a blend of Afrodiasporic and European musical styles in newly independent Brazil. Syncopated rhythms from Africa and popular dance forms from Europe (the polka, habanera, and more) melded together to create a unique new style, which often gives the lead and highly ornamented melody to the flute, harmonically supported by guitar and cavaquinho. Percussive accompaniment often comes from the pandeiro, a Brazilian frame drum similar to a tambourine. Though choros are frequently instrumental and improvisatory, they do feature lyrics from time to time.
- Ceylon Mitchell, flute
- Seth Kibel, sax
- Pablo Regis de Oliveira, cavaquinho
- Felipe Garibaldi, guitar
- Lucas Ashby, percussion
- André Coelho, percussion
by Dr. Ceylon Mitchell II | May 10, 2024
Join modern Cuban charanga ensemble Raíces Negras in a program dedicated to the beloved Cuban music group Orquesta Aragón. To showcase this fusion of Afro-Cuban rhythms and European classical instruments, Raíces Negras features popular songs from the danzón and cha-cha-cha craze of the 1940s and 1950s, including hits like “Almendra” and “Pare Cochero” by songwriter Richard “La Flauta Mágica” Egües.
This program is performed at 1:00 and 3:00 p.m. Rain site: East Building Auditorium
Directed by flutist Dr. Ceylon Mitchell, Raíces Negras is a music collective celebrating Black and Latin voices across the Americas. Blending and bending traditional genres with improvisation, the group’s distinctive sound encompasses a full range of character—from the rich timbral colors of the modern Pierrot ensemble to the Afro-Brazilian swing of choros and complex rhythms of Cuban charanga, and everything in between! Formed by Mitchell in 2019, the collective began as a local, grant-funded concert series of Afro-Latin music, and now consists of world-class musicians hailing from the United States, Venezuela, Brazil, Bulgaria, Haiti, and beyond.
- Ceylon Mitchell, flute
- Sarah Taylor Cook, vocals/coro
- Sheyda Do’a, vocals/coro
- Michael Paxton, sax
- Geraldo Marshall, trumpet
- Christine Kharazian, violin
- Sandy Choi, violin
- Joshua Jenkins, piano
- Chuco Mendoza, bass
- Fran Vielma, percussion: congas
- Dominique Patrick Noel, percussion: timbales
- Bruno Lucini, percussion: drum set, guïro, claves
by Dr. Ceylon Mitchell II | Feb 28, 2024
Join us for an evening celebrating the iconic Cuban charanga Orquesta Aragón, one of the most beloved Cuban music groups and global ambassadors. The beautiful polyrhythms of Afro-Cuban music and balletic European contradanzas meet in hits such as “El Bodeguero” and “Pare Cochero.” Richard Egües, nicknamed la flauta magica, is famous for his distinctive flute playing and catchy songwriting for the group during the danzón and cha-cha-cha craze of the 1940s/1950s. This performance pays homage to his innovations and influence to this day.
Flutist Ceylon Mitchell leads Raíces Negras, a modern Cuban charanga ensemble full of award-winning musicians, providing sonorous melodies and rhythmic grooves that will move your body! With polyphonic percussion and harmonious vocals, this dynamic and unique flute-led ensemble celebrates traditional Cuban forms and Latin Jazz with classics as well as commissions in a fun, improvisatory style. ¡A Gozar!
• Sarah Taylor Cook, lead vocals/pregón
• Jeannette Lewis, flute, vocals/coro
• Taisha Estrada, vocals/coro
• Christine Kharazian, violin
• Amyr Joyner, violin
• Erin Murphy Snedecor, cello
• Ellington Carthan, piano
• Michael Bowie, bass
• Fran Vielma, congas
• Dominique Patrick Noel, timbales
• Bruno Lucini, drum set, guïro, claves
by Dr. Ceylon Mitchell II | Jan 26, 2024
Join us for an evening celebrating the iconic Cuban charanga Orquesta Aragón, one of the most beloved Cuban music groups and global ambassadors. The beautiful polyrhythms of Afro-Cuban music and balletic European contradanzas meet in hits such as “El Bodeguero” and “Pare Cochero.” Richard Egües, nicknamed la flauta magica, is famous for his distinctive flute playing and catchy songwriting for the group during the danzón and cha-cha-cha craze of the 1940s/1950s. This performance pays homage to his innovations and influence to this day.
Flutist Ceylon Mitchell leads Raíces Negras, a modern Cuban charanga ensemble full of award-winning musicians, providing sonorous melodies and rhythmic grooves that will move your body! With polyphonic percussion and harmonious vocals, this dynamic and unique flute-led ensemble celebrates traditional Cuban forms and Latin Jazz with classics as well as commissions in a fun, improvisatory style. ¡A Gozar!
by Dr. Ceylon Mitchell II | Apr 3, 2021
During National Hispanic Heritage Month, Ceylon and his acclaimed ensemble will demonstrate the unique development of Western-European classical flute music in the Latin American countries of Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Brazil.
Throughout this classical crossover program, audiences will enjoy the sounds of formalized Western virtuosic writing, the improvisation and complexity of distinct national musical styles, as well as the African rhythms, harmonic progressions and flowing melodies of Caribbean music.
This project is supported by the Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council.
