Celso Machado is an Afro-Brazilian composer, guitarist, lyricist and singer who was born in Ribeiro Preto, Brazil on January 27, 1953. He is profiled at AfriClassical.com and has a website of his own, http://www.CelsoMachado.com 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.
On Nov. 24, 2008 AfriClassical reported: “'Jogo da Vida' Makes Celso Machado World Solo Artist in 2008 Canadian Folk Music Awards”. Earlier we wrote “CoastReporter.net has published an overview of the globe-trotting guitarist's career on November 14, 2008: 'On top of the world music: Celso Machado' by Jan DeGrass, Arts and Entertainment Writer, Reporter. The article reports that the nomination of Jogo da Vida is the fourth honor he has received in 2008." The current repertoire of the Zagreb Guitar Quartet includes two works of Celso Machado, Danças Populares Brasileiras (Brazilian Popular Dances) and Folguedo. The Quartet is scheduled to play Folguedo on February 2, 2009 at the American University of Sharjah in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
