Heir of greats clarinetists as Severino Araújo, K-Ximbinho, Luiz Americano, Abel Ferreira, Nailor Azevedo and Paulo Moura, Alexandre Ribeiro owns exuberant technique and exquisite interpretation, hypnotizing his listeners in the first notes.
Born in the city of São Simão, in the state of São Paulo, he was a disciple and had great influence of clarinetists like Krista Helfenberger Munhoz, Luiz Afonso Montanha, Sergio Burgani, Nailor Proveta and Stanley Carvalho.
In his trajectory, he shared the stage with great artists like Guinga, Quinteto Sujeito a Guincho, Antônio Nóbrega, Carlos Malta, Arismar do Espírito Santo, Osvaldinho do Acordeon, Dominguinhos, Nelson Ayres, Paulo Moura, Yamandu Costa, Raul de Souza, André Mehmari , Toninho Ferragutti, Ken Peplowsky, Toquinho, Elton Medeiros, Eduardo Gudin, Tom Zé, Ed Motta, Jair Rodrigues, Luciana Mello, Wilson das Neves, Jair Oliveira, Riachão, Aldir Blanc, Mafalda Minozzi, Jane Duboc, Consuelo de Paula, Teresa Cristina, Dona Ivone Lara, Leci Brandão, Nelson Sargento, Fabiana Cozza, Willy Gonzalez, Gabriele Mirabassi, Tulipa Ruiz and anothers famous musicians.
In 2009, he established a strong and successful partnership with guitarist Alessandro Penezzi, which resulted in two very prominent records in the instrumental music scene: "Cordas ao Vento" and "Ao Vivo na Bimhuis-Amsterdam", as well as several shows in Brazil and in the world.

Hailed as one of the best conductors of his generation, Argentine-born Daniel Canosa has led orchestras in Argentina, the United States, and Europe. He has established a bright reputation for his sensible and inspiring performances of an extensive repertoire of symphonic and choral masterworks from all periods. Currently living in California, he is the music director and conductor of the ECHO Chamber Orchestra, artistic director and conductor of the Apollo Symphony Orchestra, and the music director of the Marin Baroque.

Past Choro Festival Artists

Anat Cohen

Choro de Ouro

Trio Brasileiro

Grupo Falso Baiano

Francois de Lima

Berkeley Festival of Choro 2022 Artists 

São Paulo flutist/pianist/composer Léa Freire grew up surrounded by music. She began by studying piano, where she absorbed Brazilian composers such as Villa-Lobos and Lorenzo Fernandes, as well as Bach and Debussy. She later started playing and teaching herself flute, with which she made her musical reputation. A versatile composer, Léa released her first CD, “Ninhal,” in 1997, on her newly-founded label Maritaca. Many CDs followed, including “Cartas Brasileiras,” (2007) with her symphonic arrangements for 62 musicians in various formations, a contemporary overview of Brazilian instrumental music.  The Cartas Brasileiras’s repertoire has had many presentations with various orchestras in Brazil and with the Guimarães Orchestra in Portugal

In 2008, Freire formed her quintet Vento em Madeira (Wind in Wood), with saxist/flutist Teco Cardoso, pianist Tiago Costa, bassist Fernando Demarco, and drummer Edu Ribeiro. They have released 3 CDs: “Vento em Madeira” (2011); “Brasiliana” (voted Best Instrumental Recording of 2013 by a group of critics representing all regions of Brazil); and “Arraial” (2017), all with special guest vocalist Monica Salmaso.  Besides her label Maritaca, which has launched 50 titles, Léa is also a producer and editor of sheet music. She has an ongoing composing partnership with Joyce Moreno who is the lyricist of many of Léa’s songs, released in the USA, Europe and Japan.  Léa has recently released a series of videos in collaboration with videographer Lucas Weglinsky celebrating her 40 years in the Brazilian music world, entitled “CINEPOESIA”.

Carol Panesi

Alexandre Ribeiro

Almir Cortes

Amilton Godoy Lea Freire Duo

Léa Freire

Roberta Cunha Valente

Choro das 3

Choroloco

Duo Violao Brasil

Roberta Cunha Valente is a pandeiro and cavaquinho player from São Paulo.  As a percussionist and producer, her participation in the choro world of Brazil is massive. The list of musicians she has worked with include literally all the well-known performers of Brazilian popular music: Alexandre Ribeiro, Beth Carvalho, Yamandu Costa, Duo Assad, Hamilton de Hollanda, Badi Assad, Banda Mantiqueira, Wanderlea, Altamiro Carrilho, Paulo Moura, André Mehmari, Danilo Brito, Alessandro Penezzi, Dominguinhos, Luiz Nassif, Renato Braz, Izaias do Bandolim, Orquestra Jovem Sinfonica, Raul de Barros, Wilson das Neves, D. Ivone Lara, Arismar do Esp­rito Santo, Léa Freire. She plays pandeiro with Choro Rasgado, Chorando as Pitangas, Panorama do Choro, Bola Preta, and others.
As a producer and scholar of choro music, her dedication to choro as an art form has built the audience for choro not only in Brazil, but the US as well.  She was the director of Clube do Choro de São Paulo and editor of samba-choro news, the first site of samba and choro. Roberta wrote for Guitar Pro Magazine, specialized in guitar, where she interviewed many performers of choro.  In 2019, she performed at Yerba Buena Center in SF with the Real Vocal String Quartet, led by Irene Sazer, in a program representing Brazil, and celebrating guest artists from around the world.

Tim Connell

Claudia Villela

Silvia Goes

Felipe Senna navigates with remarkable freedom the most diverse realms of music, defying genre boundaries as creator, director and performer. Acclaimed as “one of the most talented and promising composers of his generation” (Julio Maria-O Estado de S.Paulo) his music extends from his roots in Brazilian traditions to chamber, theatrical and symphonic creations regularly performed by Brazilian 1st rate orchestras and ensembles and also in Europe and the USA. Senna has seemingly endless credits as arranger, orchestrator, conductor, music director and producer in his 28 years of professional activity. He is the founder and artistic director of the groundbreaker Câmaranóva ensemble. To know more, please visit: felipesenna.com

Vitor Goncalves

Daniel Canosa

Gileno Santana/Enrique Neto Duo

Berkeley Choro Ensemble

Brian Moran

Irene Sazer

Eduardo Neves

Ian Coury

Vitor Gonçalves is a pianist, accordionist, composer and arranger from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. After an illustrious career as an in demand musician in Brazil, playing with such icons as Hermeto Pascoal, Maria Bethânia, Itiberê Zwarg, and many others, he made the move to New York City, where he currently resides.

Since arriving here in 2012, he has garnered much acclaim and built a star lighted resumé, including features in NPR’s Jazz Night in America, hosted by Christian McBride and The New York Times as a guest of the renowned Spok Frevo Orquestra. A frequent resident on the stages of Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Jazz Standard, and the Jazz Gallery, he both leads his own projects, and collaborates with figures in the New York scene such as Anat Cohen, Vinícius Cantuária, Anthony Wilson, Cyro Baptista, and Yotam Silberstein.  He also has played in Jazz Festivals and venues around the world, such as Newport Jazz, Jazz à Vienne, Umbria Jazz Festival, Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, and the Coliseum in Lisbon, Portugal.

Other groups he co-leads are “SanfoNYa Brasileira”, an accordion trio with Eduardo Belo on bass and Vanderlei Pereira on drums, and “Regional de NY”, one of the biggest representatives of Choro music (a rich Brazilian genre) in the USA. Both groups released an original album, the former with Steve Wilson as a guest and the latter with Fred Hersch.  Vitor is nominated for the Grammy Awards for Best Latin Jazz album with Thalma de Freitas and for Best Large Jazz Ensemble with Anat Cohen Tentet.

Felipe Senna

Ami Mollineli