Dudu Maia


A virtuoso of the bandolim (Portuguese for “mandolin”), Dudu Maia served for five years as the bandolim professor of Brazil’s most respected Choro school, the Escola Brasileira de Choro Raphael Rabello. Considered to be one of Brazil’s finest mandolin players, Dudu brings to his work a lifetime of research and study of Brazil’s greatest musical traditions.

He is also an experienced music producer and has recorded and produced many artists besides writing original film soundtracks. Nowadays, he works at his own studio, Casa do Som, in Brasília, Brazil. Dudu presents a TV show called Programa Casa do Som wich is produced and recorded in his studio-apartment. The show is broadcasted nationally and features recording sessions and interviews with several outstanding musicians from Brazil and abroad. This content is also available on a youtube channel.

At the Symposium, Dudu’s ability to demystify components of choro with great clarity is evident. His classes cover all aspects of choro, from rhythms and phrasing to harmonic and melodic vocabulary. “Although it's focused on choro music, it should be really useful when playng other styles as well," Maia says. Dudu makes a special effort to introduce students to the diversity of Brazilian music forms in addition to choro, in keeping with the Symposium's broad exchange of ideas, history and cultures.

Dudu Maia's Web Site