Guinga, guitar & voice
Debora Dienstmann, voice 

Guinga, Brazilian guitarist, singer, and composer, is considered one of the greatest musical talents to have emerged in Brazil in the 1990s. Born and raised in the neighborhoods of Rio de Janeiro, a self-taught guitarist and former dentist, he grew up listening to choros, waltzes, and sambas, immersing himself in the music of Jacob do Bandolim, Pixinguinha, Cândido das Neves, Custódio Mesquita, Ary Barroso, Noel Rosa, Chico Buarque, Dorival Caymmi, and Vinícius de Moraes. Today, Guinga is followed by an international audience, and his songs have been performed by renowned artists such as Elis Regina, Sérgio Mendes, and Paulo César Pinheiro. His artistry was also featured in Mendes’ Grammy-winning album Brasileiro, and he has collaborated with João Nogueira, Beth Carvalho, Clara Nunes, Alaíde Costa, among many other icons of Brazilian music. His compositions, often ironic and poetic, are small gems that bring together samba, choro, jazz, classical, and popular music, blending refined harmonies with haunting melodies. 

By his side, Brazilian singer Debora Dienstmann - based in Italy - is a versatile and profound artist, deeply engaged in exploring the many repertoires of her country’s music. She has performed at numerous music festivals in Italy, sharing the richness and depth of Brazilian tradition. Her background also includes classical training: she holds a diploma in violin. A passionate and faithful interpreter of Guinga’s work, she moves naturally between popular and classical music. Her voice intertwines with Guinga’s guitar in an intimate dialogue, creating an original concert where each song becomes an emotional story and every arrangement a surprise. 

A musical experience that strikes deep chords, suspended between lyricism, technique, and passion. 

more about Guinga. . .

GUINGA (pronounced Geen-ga) was born Carlos Althier de Souza Lemos Escobar in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on June 10, 1950. When he was 13 years old, he taught himself to play the guitar. Later, he formally studied music, including five years of classical guitar lessons with the renowned Jodacil Damasceno. Guinga began composing music when he was 16 years old and by age 17 he had already qualified one of his compositions for the Festival Internacional da Canção (International Festival of Song). By the time he became a professional musician, Guinga was already accompanying famous Brazilian artists such as Clara Nunes, Beth Carvalho, Alaíde Costa, Cartola, and João Nogueira, among others. 

As Daniella Thompson wrote for Brazzil.com,"While most popular composers are usually associated with specific songs, Guinga established his reputation primarily on his unique sound. Regardless of the genre in which he works - canção, choro, frevo, waltz, bolero, samba, coco, baião, modinha, foxtrot, or jazz, vocal or instrumental - the outcome is unmistakably his. Like Kurt Weill and Nino Rota - two other composers who are instantly recognizable by their sound - Guinga straddles an indefinable line between pop and serious music. Synthesizing numerous sources, including Impressionist music, opera, older popular songs, and jazz, he distills an intoxicating brew all his own, enriched with audacious lyrics by a handful of partners past and present." 

In addition to his life as a musician and composer, Guinga has been a practicing dentist since 1975. He composes constantly and his songs have been recorded by some of the most important names in Brazilian music, including Elis Regina, Michel Legrand, Sérgio Mendes, Leila Pinheiro, Chico Buarque, Clara Nunes, and Ivan Lins. He has composed songs in partnership with Paulo César Pinheiro, Aldir Blanc, and most recently, with Chico Buarque and Nei Lopes. 

awards and recognitions . . . 

Guinga has received four Premio Sharp awards (the Brazilian equivalent to the Grammy) in the following categories:
Best Instrumental CD (Cheio de Dedos)
Best Instrumental Song ("Dá o Pé, Loro")
Best CD Production, and Best Brazilian Popular Song ("Chá de Panela"). 

The latter appeared on Leila Pinheiro's CD, Catavento e Girassol (EMI Odeon), which featured a repertoire consisting entirely of Guinga's compositions. 

In 2000, his fourth CD, Suíte Leopoldina, was elected, unanimously, by the music critics of O Globo (Brazil's newspaper) as the best CD of Brazilian popular music; his 2001 release, Cine Baronesa, was nominated for a Latin Grammy, in the category of Best Brazilian Popular Music Album. His 2003 CD, Noturno Copacabana, was also nominated for a Grammy in the same category; 2004 saw the release of Graffiando Vento. 

Guinga has toured Europe several times, with performances at the jazz festivals of Lavanga, Arezzo, Napoli, Latina, Naples, Milan, and Rome; the Festival Brasiliana and the Cafe Central in Madrid; the Festival Internacional de Guitarra in Córdoba, Spain; Uppsala Guitar Festival in Sweden and the Festival Braziliana at the Jazz House in Copenhagen, Denmark. He has also appeared at Cuba Disco and the Festival Guitarras del Mundo in Argentina. In spring 2005, Guinga embarked on his first major U.S. tour with his own quartet. This tour took him to many cities across the country, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Cleveland, Miami, Atlanta, Boston, and Washington, D.C. Guinga has been participating in the California Brazil Camp in Cazadero for 23 years.