By Chesney Hearst, Senior Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Lapa’s Circo Voador will host three days, from August 15th-17th, filled with over thirty musicians playing on two stages to close out Conexão Rio, a festival of live performances across Rio. The series began on July 11th, Conexão Rio (Connection Rio), has included shows of more than fifty, mostly instrumental, musicians.
For the three day finale, the venue will host thirty performers on two stages; the Palco Rio (Rio Stage) and Palco Conexão (Connection Stage). Gates will open at 8PM each night, and closing each night’s headliner will be an afterparty.
“For Circo it’s a pleasure to welcome the closure of a project as cool as Conexão Rio that has the diversity of Brazilian music with unique encounters between artists from various states and generations,” Circo Voador’s Vivien Drumond told The Rio Times.
Thursday, August 15th – The first performer on the Palco Rio will be Momo followed by Projeto Secreto Macacos with Maestro Fera Groove. On the Palco Conexão, members of 70s instrumental band, Som Imaginário, will reunite and play with Victor Biglione.
Next Minas Gerais group Transmissor will play with contemporary-pop-rock Bahian band, Maglore and then Carlos Malta & Pife Muderno will perform with Lenine. “Reunion could be the name of this show,” Carlos Malta told The Rio Times.
“My show at Circo will be a reunion with the audience in Rio, and with Pife Muderno since he has not played this year in Rio. We also will have Lenine as a guest, a longtime partner, that’s another reunion. This is the spirit of Conexão: to promote encounters and generate musical bliss!”
Following them will be Ilê Aiyê with BNegão and closing the first night as headliner will be São Paulo native, Tulipa Ruiz. “I like playing festivals because of the varied crowds,” Ruiz told The Rio Times. “It’s a kind of platform for forming an audience. A person goes to a show for one artist and gets to know several others.”
Friday, August 16th – Palco Rio performers for the second night will include Zefirina Bomba, Strobo, Luê, Pélico, Peu Meurray and Davi Moraes. Singer Fernanda Takai will go first the Palco Conexão, joined there by Roberta Campos. Otto will follow with an accompanying band.
Closing the night will be the increasingly popular Rio based band, Orquestra Voadora. “The proposal of the Conexão Rio is to showcase instrumental music and that is great for musicians and the music scene in general,” Tim Malik, tuba player for Orquestra Voadora and an American expatriate told The Rio Times.
“There’s something powerful and primal about real people playing real instruments live,” Maliz said. “Orquestra Voadora is an example of that phenomenon. When we formed the big brass band five years ago, I never dreamed it would be possible to headline at Circo, or go on tour in Europe, or attract a crowd of 80,000 during Carnival, all with a strictly instrumental band.”
Saturday, August 17th – For the final night instrumental band Red Felps with guest Aurelio Penna, will get things started on the Palco Rio. A live MC battle will follow with the winner becoming the state representative for the upcoming national finals to be held in Belo Horizonte.
Graveola e O lixo Polifônico, Thiago Amud, Leo Gandelman Quinteto, Serginho Trombone and Maíra Freitas will play on the Palco Conexão. As will Dona Onete who will make her Circo Voador debut as she performs with China. Following them will be São Paulo native, Marcelo Jeneci and Rio’s own João Brasil will close the Palco Conexão for the night.
“I think Conexão Rio is really cool, it’s an honor to play in the event,” João Brasil told The Rio Times, adding, “I love the variety of the musical event. Rio de Janeiro is this mixture.”
What: Conexão Rio’s Three Day Finale
Where: Circo Voador – Rua dos Arcos, S/N, Lapa
When: Gates will open at 8PM on August 15th, 16th and 17th
Tickets: R$10 – R$60, a passport for all three days can all be purchased for R$60
Additional information is available festival web site and Circo Voador’s site.