UB Choro Ensemble
Choro is a dynamic, living instrumental music tradition that began in late 1800s Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with Afro-Brazilian reinterpretations of European salon music. What began as a regional style has since become a global genre (played in almost every major city around the world) with its own composers that has continued to evolve with each new generation into the 21st century. A few of the most prominent composer-performers include Ernesto Nazaré (piano), Pixinguinha (flute/sax), Jacob do Bandolim (bandolim), and Waldir Azevedo (cavaquinho).
UB Choro in concert, May 4, 2023.
Choro is a music fundamentally predicated on play, on musical mischief. It can be syncopated, contrapuntal, virtuosic, romantic, harmonically rich, and sometimes very, very fast.
UB Choro guides students in the performance, theory, and cultural context of Brazilian choro music, always emphasizing the music’s playful but studious attitude.
Registration
To formally join UB Choro,
- Undergraduates must register for MUS340LAB, Section GUE
- and Graduates MUS540LAB, Section GUE.
Audition/Expectations
No audition is held.
Students are expected to be able to read standard notation, syncopations, and chord charts (for harmony instruments).
Contact
Please direct all questions to Prof. Stephen Guerra, sguerra2@buffalo.edu.
Performances
UB Choro began in Spring 2023 and performed in:
- UB Gift to the Community Concert, May 12, 2024
- UB Gift to the Community Concert, May 12, 2024
- UB Twilight Festival, May 3, 2024
- UB Guitar Concert, April 27, 2024
- UB Choro with Buffalo Choro at AKG Art Museum, March 14, 2024
- Slee Brown Bag Concert, March 4, 2024
- UB Chamber Music Concert, December 2023
- UB Guitar Concert, December 2023
- UB Twilight Festival, May 2023
- UB Chamber Music Concert, May 2023
UB Choro members are also invited to participate in all events with the Buffalo Choro Project, a community-based collective learning and playing choro in Buffalo, NY.