Colorado Brazil Fest 2023: Samba, MPB, and Bossa Nova with Michele Castro Band

TICKETS Michele Castro hails originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. As vocalist and guitarist, she began to play internationally when invited to perform two tours of Germany with a Choro/Samba band as lead singer. Michele is proud to say she grew up in the Rocinha favela where she draws much of her musical inspiration and appreciation. While she draws inspiration from a number of artists, Elis Regina and Rosa Passos have influenced her work the most. Her vocal repertoire includes Samba, Bossa Nova, Brazilian Pop & Rock, MPB (Musica Popular Brasileira), Choro and Forró. She also plays a variety of Brazilian percussion instruments. Michele loves exploring the Colorado music scene and sharing her culture and music with a new public.
Michele’s Castro band is Raoul Rossiter (drumset), Bill Kopper (guitar), Ian Brighton (Sax/flute), Victor Mestas (piano), Vincent Gonzales (percussion)

Dance Performance by Emilce Parga:
Emilce Parga is an Argentinian dancer who fell in love with Brazilian samba and carnaval.
She is a ballerina, a dancer in the Carnaval of Rio de Janeiro, a dance teacher and a professional ontological coach. Emilce spends months in Brazil each year studying and working with dance. She has been a passista of the GRES Paraíso do Tuiuti samba school in Rio since 2020. In addition to developing as a teacher and dancer, she has trained as an Ontological Coach and Ayurveda body therapist in order to to accompany the learning process of those who enter the language of Samba from a more holistic perspective.

Bateria Alegria is the primary performing ensemble of the Boulder Samba School, composed of 20-30 percussionists and led by Music Director Carl Dixon. The ensemble plays percussion-based styles of music from Rio de Janeiro (samba batucada) and Salvador (samba reggae). The music incorporates a mixture of African, European, and indigenous influences and traditions. These styles of music are traditionally played during the carnival parades throughout Brazil and can be heard in Brazilian concert stages, dance clubs, neighborhoods, and soccer matches.

Samba Colorado: Since its founding in 2013, Samba Colorado is devoted to bringing together people from all walks of life in an artistic, educational, and positive community by sharing the joy and beauty of Brazilian culture and dance. They offer classes, workshops, dance residencies as well as energetic and exciting performances for both community and private events.