Duo Violão Brasil is the result of guitarists Rogério Souza and Edinho Gerber's reverence for Brazilian guitar, the “violão”, and their desire to explore and expand the musical possibilities of putting two “violões" together. With repertoire from composers like Pixinguinha, Baden Powell, and Tom Jobim, the duo navigates effortlessly through the many styles of 20th century Brazilian popular music while showcasing original works and inventive arrangements. A master of both 6 and 7 string guitars, Rogério Souza is one of the foremost representatives of the musical language from Rio de Janeiro. guitarist and composer Edinho Gerber possesses a rich musical vocabulary developed in the two countries where he was raised: the United States and Brazil.

For this special performance, they are joined by Strathmore Artist in Residence, Simone Baron. Simone is a multifaceted musician whose work as a pianist, accordionist, conductor, arranger and composer strives to experiment and engage with a broad range of audiences, musical languages/traditions and art forms. Simone’s innovative programming spanning her own works as well as the traditional and modern repertoire have led her to perform internationally throughout Europe, Israel and North America, appearing as a soloist and chamber musician in venues ranging from Carnegie Hall, Targ Hall (Jerusalem), Centro Pitigaliani (Rome), and DC’s Kennedy Center, Hirshorn Museum and Wolf Trap.