Biography

Paulo Sérgio Santos is one of the Brazil's best wind players. Blending a solid background of training with a passion and talent for popular music, mainly the choro, he was embraced by popular musicians, with whom he developed important projects. He studied with José Botelho and Jayoleno dos Santos, graduating from the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Between 1977 and 1995 he was the first clarinetist of the Orquestra Sinfônica do Teatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro. He was also a member of the World Philharmonic, conducted by Lorin Maazel, working as soloist before the main Brazilian orchestras. In 1987, in France, he won the honourable mention in the Acanthes contest of contemporary music interpretation. In making popular music, he has worked with Turíbio Santos, Sivuca, and João Carlos Assis Brasil, with whom he recorded Self Portrait (Kuarup). With Maurício Carrilho and Pedro Amorim he formed the O Trio, which was awarded the Sharp prize in 1994 for best instrumental group. He is also a member of the wind ensemble Quinteto Villa-Lobos, specializing in Brazilian advanced repertory. Since 1994 a solo artist, he released his first solo album Segura Ele in 1995, winning the Sharp prize for new artist in the instrumentals category. ~ Alvaro Neder, Rovi