Paulo S Varoto

Play Djembe Now! Have FUN learning contemporary and traditional Djembe Rhythms World-renowned drummer educator Paulo Mattioli shares his special gift for empowering others on the drumming path. Paulo makes playing Djembe easy for anyone in this comprehensive DVD.

Leonard Bernstein was without question the greatest musician America ever produced. As an inspirational teacher and renowned conductor he was the nation’s musical ambassador to the world, and his work as a composer bridged gaps and broke down barriers, reaching audiences way beyond the normal boundaries of classical music.

Singer/songwriter and pianist Alicia Keys became an international star in the early 2000s with her sophisticated mix of classic and contemporary R&B. Behind the number one pop hit "Fallin'," her first album, Songs in A Minor (2001), sold more than 50,000 copies during its first day of availability and eventually moved over ten million units worldwide, thus setting the stage for the then-20-year-old's lengthy career. Since collecting five Grammys for her debut, Keys has continued to refine her signature sound, specializing in aching love ballads and feel-good motivational anthems, appealing to an audience far beyond her R&B base without being overtly pop. Her subsequent studio albums through the 2000s and 2010s, namely The Diary of Alicia Keys (2003), As I Am (2007), The Element of Freedom (2009), Girl on Fire (2012), and Here (2016), all reached number one or two on the Billboard 200 and produced crossover hits such as "You Don't Know My Name" and "No One."

Choral music holds a central position in Villa-Lobos’s catalogue of works, but among these famous pieces is a series of little-known transcriptions for a cappella choir taken from the standard classical repertoire.

The Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo (OSESP), or Symphony Orchestra of the state of São Paulo, is one of Brazil's most prominent orchestral ensembles internationally. Sometimes known in English as the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra, the group is an important exponent of Brazilian music of many kinds beyond the country's borders.

“Helmut Nieberle’s compositions constantly surprise and delight me, always full of memorable melodies and subtle twists (and I find myself singing them in my mind, the mark of great tunes). After many happy years of collaboration with Helmut, I’m always amazed by his unique jazz guitar voice that combines the best of tradition, his many personal influences and an in-the-moment sensitivity and spontaneity!”