CHORO: THE SWEET LAMENT OF BRAZILIAN MUSIC
November 8-11, 2007
$495 includes all meals and lodging. 

Join Mike Marshall (mandolin), Carlos Oliveira (six- and seven-string cavanquinho guitar), Andy Connell (clarinet and saxophone), and Brian Rice (pandeiro and other Brazilian percussion instruments) in this new Centrum fall offering. 

The thirty-person workshop is open to all instruments. “There will be people of different backgrounds and abilities and we’ll be sure to match you up!” Marshall says.

Evening jam sessions, combined with relaxing Brazilian film and audio sessions, round out the workshop. Participants will receive free admission to the November 10 performance in the Joseph F. Wheeler Theater. On Sunday morning, November 11, participants are invited to join the faculty for an authentic Brazilian brunch, prepared by chefs who have relocated to the United States.

For Tickets to the November 10 show, call 800.733.3608 or 360.385.3102, x117. Workshop registration is full.

Faculty

Andy Connell has played in ensembles ranging from jazz to classical to Brazilian music. In addition to his work as a performer, Connell is an ethnomusicologist whose primary research focuses on issues of musical identity and globalization in Brazilian popular instrumental music. He is currently an assistant professor of music at James Madison University in Virginia, working on a book about Brazilian jazz.

Mike Marshall is one of the world’s most accomplished and versatile acoustic musicians—a master of mandolin, guitar, and violin whose playing is as imaginative and adventurous as it is technically thrilling. Able to swing from jazz to classical to bluegrass to Latin styles, he puts his stamp on everything he plays with an inspirational blend of intellect and emotion.

Carlos Oliveira hails from Recife, in northeastern Brazil. This area is especially rich in African influences, and its regional music has greatly influenced Brazilian music. Deeply affected by his exposure to American jazz, Oliveira moved to the US to expand his contact with the music. Oliveira has performed and/or recorded with Claudia Villela, Claudia Gomez, Celia Malheiros, Eddie Duran, and Ricardo Peixoto.

Brian Rice is a much sought-after percussionist for his wealth of experience and skill in a multitude of styles. He is the founder of Samba Seattle, a ninety-member escola de samba, and has played everything from Brazilian, Cuban and Middle Eastern music, to jazz, klezmer, and Celtic. In 2003, Rice traveled to Brazil to study with renowned pandeiro player Marcos Susano.