André Mehmari
composer
"André Mehmari has become a reference for young pianists and continues to astonish veterans with his harmonic intelligence, improvisational skills, composition quality, and deep knowledge of Brazilian music. He is already included in the list of our great instrumentalists of all time."
Mauro Dias, O Estado de São Paulo
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TERRITORY
Various. Non exclusive.
BIO
André Mehmari is a pianist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist. Considered one of the foremost exponents of contemporary Brazilian creative music, he has built a vast and unique body of work that spans from solo piano to jazz, opera, and choro, passing through orchestral and chamber music to popular songs. Since 1998, he has released more than sixty-five albums, many of them produced at his own Monteverdi Studio, located in the heart of the Atlantic Forest
Born in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, in 1977 and raised in Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, he rose to national prominence after winning the first edition of the Visa Award for Brazilian Popular Music (Prêmio Visa de MPB), by then already based in the city of São Paulo. Twice nominated for the Latin Grammy, Mehmari has had his compositions and arrangements performed by many orchestral and chamber groups in Brazil and abroad.
Praised by specialized critics as “the musician who best embodies an inclusive creative stance” and “the most faithful and multifaceted portrait of Brazilian music,” he has performed as a soloist in more than forty countries and at major jazz festivals, in addition to extensive tours throughout the United States, Europe, and Japan.
As a pianist, he has collaborated with Antônio Meneses, Emmanuele Baldini, Maria Bethânia, Milton Nascimento, Sérgio Santos, Hamilton de Holanda, Ná Ozzetti, Guinga, Mônica Salmaso, Marília Vargas, Mário Laginha, Rafael Cesario, Sérgio Santos, Maria João Grancha, Makoto Ozone, Toninho Horta, Fafá de Belém, and Alaíde Costa, among many other leading figures of the national and international music scene, elegantly and brilliantly transcending genres and stylistic boundaries.
Alongside his concert career, he also composes music for ballets and soundtracks for documentaries, series, and films.
With a discography of over sixty titles, he has been awarded three times at the Prêmio Profissionais da Música and, in 2023, premiered his opera O Machete and Concerto for Cello, receiving the Grande Prêmio Concerto for his remarkable contribution to classical music that year.