ALMA BRASILEIRA TRIO ("alma brasileira" means brazilian soul), named after the great composer Heitor Villa-Lobos, began its path in 1996 in Brasilia. The band is made up of three active and experienced musicians: Toninho Alves (flute, piccolo and alto flute), Celso Bastos (guitar) and Ocelo Mendonça (cello, flute and guitar). The trio's unique musical arrangements – mainly composed for flute, guitar and cello – have won favorable reviews from renowned musicians such as Marco Pereira and Egberto Gismonti.

         The trio’s successful performances in several cities in Brazil – such as Brasilia, Sao Paulo, Campinas, Curitiba, Florianopolis, Porto Alegre, Vitoria, Belo Horizonte, Goiania and Cidade de Goias – have made the group well-known nationwide. Among these, special mention should be made of the ones done for the Pixinguinha Project (1997), sponsored by Brazil's foundation for culture (Funarte), the Temporadas Populares project, sponsored by the Cultural Foundation of the Federal District, and the Prata da Casa project, sponsored by the SESC Pompéia/SP (2003).

      The REPERTOIRE consists exclusively of Brazilian music with the trio’s own arrangement and adaptation. It includes songs by acclaimed composers, such as Tom Jobim, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Pixinguinha, Egberto Gismonti, Claudio Santoro, Marco Pereira, Milton Nascimento, Edu Lobo, Toninho Horta, Wagner Tiso, Hermeto Pascoal, among others, apart from the trio's own compositions.

        Recently (2003), Celso Bastos presented a Masters dissertation for the Federal University of Goias (UFG) on the trio's work regarding the process of music creation and arrangement.

          The group has been performing several concerts of the Alma Brasileira Trio CD and also new arrangements and compositions throughout Brazil.


©2003-2012 Alma Brasileira Trio