Celso Machado, Afro-Brazilian Classical Guitarist & Composer Born Jan. 27, 1953

[Celso Machado]

Celso Machado is an Afro-Brazilian composer, guitarist, lyricist and singer who was born in Ribeiro Preto, Brazil on January 27, 1953. British Columbia, Canada is now his home base. He is profiled at AfriClassical.com and has a website of his own, http://www.CelsoMachado.com A seemingly endless stream of global performances is chronicled by the calendar at his website. His trip to Malaysia included performances, sponsored by the Embassy of Brazil, at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre on Nov. 22 and 23, 2010. These were followed by Master Classes from Nov. 25-29, 2010. Celso also made a much-publicized appearance at the Penang Island Jazz Festival in Malaysia.

The works he writes and performs are played by guitarists in both classical and world music genres. At age seven Celso began performing in street bands. He first performed in Canada in 1986; he moved there three years later. His many CDs consist of music composed by himself and others. Machado has composed sound tracks for several documentary films. His score for the film In the Company of Fear won a Leo Award in 2000 in Canada. Publication of Machado's sheet music has resulted in many performances by other guitarists. The French firm Éditions Henry Lemoine has published a volume of his music whose title translates to Brazilian Popular Music for Flute and Guitar. A forthcoming volume will be called Brazilian Music With Baroque Inspiration.

Celso Machado was interviewed by AfriClassical in May, 2010. One of the ideas he expressed was his attraction to elements of the Baroque style, which he combines with Brazilian influences in his compositions. Reviewers often remark on Celso's use of percussion in performances. NoBlackTieJazz was quoted as saying “Celso demonstrates percussion music using himself as an instrument.” Celso headlined the first Portland Folk Festival in 2010. The 2010 Brazilian Music Institute (BMI) took place at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida from May 10-14, 2010. Celso Machado taught master classes and performed with Dr. Welson Tremura, the Brazilian guitarist who founded the BMI.