Youth Orchestra of Bahia

The 3 month long Brazil Festival is in full swing in London's south bank. Tonight I saw the amazing and oh so talented Youth Orchestra of Bahia (YOBA). The show was absolutely amazing as they stomped, swayed and played their hearts out. The group is lead by Ricardo Castro who is an accomplished pianist and founder of Neojiba. YOBA has been together only a short 3 years and most had never played an instrument before meeting Ricardo. They played the traditional Gershwin, Rhapsody in Blue and then added flavor to Arturo Marquez's Danzon No. 2 with tambourines and maracas. I couldn't help but dance in my seat...and this was an orchestra. Definitely not traditional!

If you are in London, I highly recommend checking out the many events, concerts, art shows going on. Website is here. Best orchestra show I have seen in a while.

P.s. Ricardo was adorable when he told us the score of the world cup match (Germany V. Spain) at the intermission and thanked us for being there.

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Samba Music That Makes You Feel Good

The minute I hear a drum beat a rush comes over me and I'm instantly in a happy mood. Music is so expressive and brings people's energy together. It is also very personal. Discovering samba music may take more work as its not marketed as much as pop or mainstream music outside of Brazil. One of the best ways to find music, other than trolling through online music sites which I do often, is through podcasts. There are a wide range of music compilations which can lead you to new sounds and artists.

Here are a few I subscribe to:

Brazilian Beatz Podcast - party beats/up tempo, hosted by DJ Vivo
LoungeBR - classical/jazz/bossa nova, hosted by Rodrigo Santiago
Muqueca de Siri: Samba Radio - variety of genres with a huge list of referring sites, hosted by Conrad Rose

Podomatic is a podcast host and is a great place to find new music.

Happy Listening!

image: coolchaser

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Braving the cold and celebrating carnaval

Not going to Brazil in February for Carnaval? Celebrating in spirit is the next best thing, but if you feel like being surrounded by feathery costumes, music and a lot of happy people, you can go to one of the many carnavals happening across Europe. One of my favorite travel planning sites, Joboili, has full details of each carnaval here. The carnaval in Las Palmas, Spain just made the short list!
You may even find some other interesting events like the World Body Painting Festival in Austria in July.

Global warming turn your city into a freezing cold igloo? In New York you are sure to warm up with the lovely Quenia Ribeiro. She is hosting a Spirit of Carnaval Workshop at the Alvin Ailey America Dance Theater on February 7th. A great way to learn more about Brazilian culture and pick up some new dance moves.

We hope you can celebrate in style, whether you enjoy the sunshine in Brazil or get your fur hat on and hit the streets of Venice.

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