A Musical Tour of Brazil at Triton College on April 15

The Triton College Visual, Performing and Communication Arts Department is hosting a Musical Tour of Brazil on April 15, featuring Luciano Antonio Duo from Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music.

RIVER GROVE, Ill. – Growing up in southern Brazil, celebrations in Luciano Antonio’s family centered around music.

Whether it was a holiday, a birthday or a weekend barbecue, “my uncles and my grandfather got guitars, and the whole family sat around singing songs,” recalled Antonio.

That relaxed, welcoming energy will infuse The Luciano Antonio Duo’s April 15 concert at Triton College.

The “backyard” is the J-Building Fine Arts Gallery, Room J-107, and in one hour between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., Antonio will take audiences on a musical tour of Brazil.

Antonio, an accomplished guitarist, vocalist and composer, is joined by percussionist Heitor G. Garcia, who is himself a native of Brazil.

The concert is part of Triton’s Global Music series, and it’s a reunion of sorts. “We have been collaborating with musicians from the Old Town School of Folk Music since 2022,” said Salvatore Siriano, a lead music instructor and band director at Triton.

“We are excited to welcome [the] Luciano Antonio Duo back, as Luciano was one of the first artists to perform with us as part of the series, bringing his deep knowledge of Brazilian music to Triton,” added Siriano.

Antonio has performed across metropolitan Chicago, including at the Oak Park and River Forest libraries, and is thrilled to be back at Triton College.

In a world where technology has made music more accessible to listeners, Antonio said nothing can replace “being in the presence of a human creating art, live, at that very moment.”

He added that one of his greatest joys as a musician is looking into an audience of any size and seeing someone connect beyond boundaries of age or culture, when “you see their semblance and everything change as the music flows.”

Antonio’s repertoire includes bossa nova—Brazilian jazz. Audiences are likely to recognize his arrangement of the iconic “Girl from Ipanema,” made famous by Brazilian singer Astrud Gilberto in 1964, the same year Triton College was founded.

Then, “I’ll throw in something a little obscure, that I know people won’t recognize and see how they receive it and how they react,” said Antonio.

A country larger than the continental United States, Antonio describes all there is to explore within Brazil’s rich musical heritage.

There are the syncopated rhythms of baião and forró and the Afro-Brazilian sounds of samba and maracatu, the música popular brasileira (MPB) of Brazil’s urban centers and the sertanejo rooted in its rural regions.

Audiences will also hear some of Antonio’s own compositions and enjoy the playful improvisation between Antonio and Garcia.

“I start a song, he gets the tempo, he feels the song, and he starts playing one of the instruments along with me,” said Antonio. Then, using a device called a peddle looper, Garcia “records it live at the moment” and adds layers to the music.

From childhood onward, creating, playing and sharing Brazilian music has given Antonio “a sense of purpose.”

It also connects him to a sense of purpose that goes beyond Brazil to encompass the world, because “there are some things in music that are just kind of magical in the sense that certain groups or songs or styles work as somewhat of a glue for humanity.”

Visit Triton’s performing arts webpage at triton.edu/entertainment/ for upcoming music, art and theater events.

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Media Contact:

Melissa Ramirez Cooper | melissacooper@triton.edu | 708-456-0300, Ext. 3496

Rachel K. Hindery | rachelhindery@triton.edu

 

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Triton College is a public institution of higher education dedicated to student success. Recently recognized by the Aspen Institute as one of the Top 200 community colleges in the nation, Triton offers more than 130 degree and certificate programs that prepare students to pursue meaningful careers, transfer to four-year universities, and thrive in a global economy. Guided by our mission—Valuing the individual, educating and serving the community—Triton serves nearly 17,000 students annually on its 110-acre campus in River Grove, Illinois. Our dedicated faculty and staff provide high-quality, accessible, and affordable educational opportunities that empower students and strengthen the communities we serve. Triton College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and a member of The Illinois Community College Board. Illinois is home to 45 colleges in 39 community college districts. Learn more at triton.edu.