London Choro Festival
26, 27 & 28 September 2025 • Copper Cats • Dalston, London
A weekend of music, workshops and events dedicated to choro, one of the richest, liveliest and most soulful genres of Brazilian music. The festival will feature concerts, workshops and rodas de choro, bringing world-class choro musicians into the heart of London.
Artists
Alvorada
Alvorada are an award-winning quintet playing Brazilian instrumental music inspired by the choro tradition. From their original compositions to classics of the genre, Alvorada’s shows are filled with lively and expressive melodies combined with infectious Brazilian grooves and playful interaction. Alvorada unites top musicians from London, Brazil and Uruguay, whose diverse backgrounds - including jazz, classical and Brazilian music - lend the group a unique edge. They have released 2 albums to much critical acclaim- First Light (2019) and Faz Tempo (2024), appeared on BBC Radio 3 and Jazz FM, and performed their captivatingly original choro in festivals and venues across the UK and internationally.
Rachel Hayter – flute
Andrew Woolf – clarinet
Jeremy Shaverin – cavaquinho
Luiz Morais – 7-string guitar
Andres Ticino – percussion
Brasília em Trio
Victor Angeleas (10-string mandolin), Márcio Marinho (6-string cavaquinho) and Pablo Fagundes (harmonica) form a unique trio offering a fresh take on Brazilian and Brasília-based instrumental music. Longtime friends, the three have performed together for years and share a strong history of collaboration, united by a mission to promote contemporary instrumental music from Brasília. Blending influences from Brazilian rhythms, world music, jazz, South American traditions, and classical music, the trio focuses on original compositions and fresh interpretations of Brazilian and jazz classics. Their performances are marked by sensitivity, energy, and virtuosity.
Choro de Rua
Choro de Rua was founded in 2012 with the goal of bringing choro—a sophisticated and expressive genre of Brazilian instrumental music—to wider audiences across Italy and Europe. The duo, formed by Italian flutist and vocalist Barbara Piperno and Brazilian 7-string guitarist and mandolinist Marco Ruviaro, has been actively performing, recording, teaching masterclasses, conducting research, and connecting musicians and audiences around the world. Dedicated to both preserving tradition and exploring new interpretations, Choro de Rua has released four albums: Santo Bálsamo (Visage Music, 2020), A Roda dos Planetas Errantes (Alfa Music, 2016), Aeroplanando (2013) and Chorando na Toscana (2012).
Família Pádua
Família Pádua is a dynamic Brazilian ensemble founded 16 years ago by composer and multi-instrumentalist Antônio de Pádua (trumpet, percussion, 7-string guitar), featuring his wife Roberta Karin (vocalist and percussionist), their son João Vitor (flute) and wider musical family. Based in Vienna since 2019, the group brings the soul of Brazilian popular music to audiences across Europe and Brazil. Blending tradition with innovation, Família Pádua performs a combination of innovative arrangements of classic choros plus original compositions infused with elements of jazz, MPB, tango, and even Viennese waltz. Their performances are joyful, interactive, and culturally rich, reflecting Brazil’s vibrant musical heritage. Família Pádua’s recent album ‘Saudação’ (2024) is a celebration of diverse influences inspired by the world of choro, Afro Brazilian music and jazz, with original compositions and an array of musical collaborations from the family’s time in Austria. Família Pádua are key figures in Austria’s thriving choro scene, having established the Vienna Choro Ensemble in 2019, with whom they regularly perform, lead choro workshops and rodas. Their album ‘Viena Brasileira’ (2022) pays tribute to some classics of the Choro repertoire gathered together in electric medleys, giving a contemporary touch to the arrangements.
Antonio de Pádua - trumpet, 7 string guitar and percussion
João Vitor - flute
Roberta Karin - pandeiro and percussion
Ricardo Ross - 7 string guitar
Community Showcase
Doce de Choro are a group of friends from London’s thriving amateur choro community, who will play a short set of their favourite choros. They met originally through the Regional do Grafton choro initiative.
Schedule
Fri 26 Sep
Sat 27 Sep
Choro Rhythms & Ensemble Practice
with Família Pádua
Improvisation
with Brasília em Trio
Família Pádua
& Community Showcase
Sun 28 Sep
Counterpoint
with Choro de Rua
Percussion
with Família Pádua
Workshops
If you’d like to get stuck into the world of choro, please consider joining our workshops! There is something for all levels (including non-musicians) and instruments led by the festival’s talented array of artists. Advanced sign-up is advised, since workshops have limited spaces - booking opens 1st September. Any questions, please email info@londonchorofestival.com.
Choro Rhythms & Ensemble Practice
with Família Pádua
Learn the fundamentals of playing choro in a group - an inclusive workshop for all instruments, suitable for instrumentalists new to choro. This workshop will cover the roles of instruments and etiquette when playing in a roda de choro. It will also explore rhythmic features of the main subgenres of choro (choro, choro-sambado, maxixe, polka, valsa), with tips for interpretation for both melodic and accompanying instruments.
Improvisation in Choro
with Brasília em Trio
Like any musical genre, choro has its own language. Learn techniques of improvising stylistically within the choro idiom, considering the differences in interpretation when improvising in different subgenres (e.g. choro lento, maxixe, choro sambado, traditional vs contemporary choros). Look at improvisatory approaches to playing melodies: ways to add improvised embellishments to vary melodies.
Counterpoint
with Choro de Rua
For melodic instruments and guitar players of ‘baixarias’ who want to improvise a stylistic counterpoint. Learn how to improvise both melodic counterpoint and static backings in choro, and when appropriate in the context of a roda. Explore different rhythms (maxixe, samba-choro, etc), and how to use rhythm to shape counterpoints.
Percussion
with Família Pádua
This workshop will look at pandeiro as well as different Brazilian percussion instruments (reco reco, tamborim, shaker) in a roda de choro. Learn how to play different choro rhythms (maxixe, samba, choro), and when playing percussion is appropriate in a roda de choro.
History of Choro Talk & Film Screening
with Alvorada
This performance-lecture and film screening will be a chance to delve into the fascinating world of choro for musicians and non-musicians alike. Discover the history of choro in Brazil, its musical ancestors in the 1800s, important composers, and developments over the years. The film screened will be ‘Nas Rodas de Choro’ by Milena Sá, a lively snapshot of the contemporary choro scene in Rio.
Help Make This Festival Happen
Since this is the first ever London Choro Festival, we need funds to get the festival off the ground and bring artists to the UK. Every contribution goes towards creating an unforgettable celebration of Brazilian music- hopefully the first of many.
Support Our CampaignOur Story
We are a group of musicians and choro lovers who have teamed up as volunteers to put on the very first London Choro Festival from 26th - 28th September around Dalston, one of the liveliest and most vibrant cultural areas in London.
The London Choro Festival will be a weekend of music, workshops and events dedicated to choro, one of the richest, liveliest and most soulful genres of Brazilian music born in Rio de Janeiro in the late 19th century. If you don’t already know about choro, imagine the playful virtuosity of ragtime, the delicacy of classical music, the spontaneity of jazz, the warm togetherness of a folk session and infectious african-influenced rhythms, and wrap it all up in a uniquely Brazilian package.
An amazing programme of artists is lined up to play across the weekend, plus daytime workshops delivered by the artists covering a range of topics for everyone from beginners to more experienced players. The weekend will also include an official festival “roda de choro” for everyone to join.
Choro festivals have sprung up all over Brazil and Europe, so now is the time to put London on the international choro map. Choro has been growing in popularity in London, with more and more happening around the city. Every week you can find opportunities to attend a roda de choro, the traditional gatherings of musicians and music lovers where choro is nurtured and shared. London-based group Alvorada has pioneered the choro scene by releasing 2 albums of original choro and leading monthly rodas de choro; Regional do Grafton is a community group dedicated to UK choro, running outdoor rodas during the summer months, and Choro East run fortnightly rodas.
The London Choro Festival relies upon the support of the community to help cover artists fees and costs. We would love to make this an annual event. For this to happen, we need to make sure that the first event is a huge success. To find out more about how you can help financially, please visit our Crowdfunding campaign. If you are interested in volunteering at the festival, please email info@londonchorofestival.org.