Luciano was born into a musical family on January 3, 1969 in rural Iretama, Parana, Brazil’s southern region. From this melodiously rich environment, he learned first how to sing with his mom, Luiza Maria. He further developed his vocal abilities through his maternal grandparents, who performed for local live radio shows and paternal grandparents, who harmonized beautifully. By age 14, he took the violão (acoustic guitar) as a self taught instrument, focusing his repertoire on Brazilian Folk and Bossa Nova (Brazilian Jazz). He continued his pursuit of technical development through the study of classical guitar at the age of 17, attending several guitar symposiums, work shops and master classes under one of Brazil’s most respected professors, Henrique Pinto. Luciano’s music journey next led him to the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) where he received a bachelor’s degree in music performance. While at UMKC full-time, he was invited to join Chicago Samba (a Chicago based Brazilian music group) and commuted weekly between Kansas City and Chicago to make ends meet. After successfully completing his education at UMKC, he relocated to Chicago where he has since established himself as a performing artist. Luciano has collaborated with many great fellow artists: playing acoustic guitar on John Goldman’s ‘For All the People’, vocals on Matt Geraghty’s ‘Mozaic’, arranging/co-producing, and performing on the recent release ‘Samba Mundo’ by St. Louis based Samba Bom, serving as lead vocalist and guitarist with the Evanston Orquestra de Samba which connects classical music with Brazilian rhythms and harmonies, and performing throughout the Chicago Jazz scene with the B3 trio and as a soloist. Other recent engagements include opening performances for Caetano Veloso, Vinicius Cantuaria, Virginia Rodrigues, performances for the Chicago Mayor’s Office of Special Events, The Democratic Convention of 2004, and several commercial releases throughout the Mid-west. Luciano also plays classical guitar for weddings, social events and private functions.Written by Rachel Montiel
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