Levine Presents | Brazilian Choro: The Musical World of Pixinguinha

Levine Presents | Brazilian Choro: The Musical World of Pixinguinha

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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
Afro-Latin Chamber Music Tour: Joes Movement Emporium

Afro-Latin Chamber Music Tour: Joes Movement Emporium

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.