Rogerio Souza

Rogéria Souza is a Brazilian guitarist (7 & 6 String Guitars), composer, and arranger. He studied guitar with Norberto Macedo and harmony, ear training, and arranging with Adamo Prince and Sergio Adamo Benevenuto. Rogerio has performed with some of the great artists in Brazilian popular music, including: Paulinho da Viola, Joao Bosco, Ney Matogrosso, Ivan Lins, Elizeth Cardoso, Dona Ivone Lara, Elsa Soares, Zélia Duncan, Leila Pinheiro, Baden Powell, Salamandra, Paulo Moura, Guinga, Altamiro Carrilho, Cristóvão Bastos, Raphael Rabello, Santos Toribio, and Epoca De Ouro. He hás appeared at the Festival Villa Lobos (Brazil - 1987/2001), Monthautre Jazz Festival (Denmark), SOB's, Blue Bird, and Zanzibar (New York and New Jersey), Stadgarden Festival (Cologne, Germany), 3rd Festival of Ibero-American Culture (Santiago, Chile), Festival de Inverno, Guimarães, and Casa de America Latina (Portugal). As an arranger for recording and touring ensembles, Rogerio has worked with Ivan Lins, Sergio Ricardo, Delcio Carvalho, among others. Rogério served as the music director and arranger for singer Ney Matogrosso’s Batuque show, touring for two years throughout Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Portugal He has produced several CDs, including: Orquídea (1999), followed by a tour in 2000 in which he led a sextet by the same name that performed several concerts in Portugal as part of the commemoration of 500 years of Brazil's Discovery (Winter Festival, Guimarães, Lisboa, Seixal, Viana do Castelo, Povoa de Varzim, Arraiolos). In addition, Rogerio produced and arranged the following projects: Ismael Silva (a CD in honor of the famous samba composer featuring performances by Cristina Buarque de Holanda, Delcio Carvalho and Jardes Macalé), Mio Matsuda (Atlantic), Rodrigo Lessa (No Bangalo da Bandola), Agenor de Oliveira (Bafafa and Emperio do Samba) Delcio Carvalho (Profissao Compositor) and several CDs by Nó em Pingo D'Água, one Brazil’s most innovative choro ensembles, of which he is one of the founding members. As a composer, Rogerio won awards for best composition and best arrangement in the 1997 Festival of Choro in Rio de Janeiro. In the same year, he released his first solo CD, featuring his own compositions as well as collaborations with guitarist Yamandú Costa (Serie Tareco for Guitar), mandolinist Rodrigo Lessa and saxophonist Eduardo Neves.

Kensington, MD