Welcome to our new website! We hope you get to enjoy and learn about the music and culture of Brazil. Brazilian Week has been created to unite all Brazilians and friends of Brazil in Tucson, through our love of the Arts.

Brazilian Week was conceived in October of 2007 by Bill Martinez, a respected Tucson musician, Roberto Guariglia, owner of Contemporânea in São Paulo (Brazil), and Dr. Carolina Ibáñez-Murphy, Faculty of the World Languages Department at Pima Community College (PCC). While in São Paulo, these friends started to work with the idea of promoting a Brazilian Week in Tucson.

We envision a yearly celebration, to be held the first week of September. We hope it will spark interest and grow into a full-fledge Festival of Arts and Culture of Brazil, where the whole city of Tucson joins in together with the Brazilian Community to learn about the arts, music, and cultural traditions of this great South American country. Our first Brazilian Week will host celebrated percussionist Maestro Ari Colares dos Santos, who will be attending from São Paulo City especially for the event. Ari will perform courtesy of "Contemporânea Musical".

The event will be kicked off by Mayor Bob Walkup, who will declare the week of September 1-7, "Brazilian Week". Samba workshops and percussion classes will follow. Participants will be able to enjoy the wonderful Brazilian cuisine at four local restaurants.

In addition, the organizers are planning a Brazilian Film Festival, a Brazilian Arts Showcase, and a Brazilian Independence Carnaval Dance at Hotel Congress to benefit the Reveille Men's Chorus. The upcoming events, both public and private, have been posted on our website. We invite you to join us in this wonderful opportunity to learn about and celebrate the music, arts and cultural traditions of Brazil. Come experience the Brazilian Week!

Muito Obrigado!,

Carola Murphy and Bill Martinez

Ari Colares, Guest Musician from São Paulo, Brasil.

Ari Colares started as a percussionist in 1982 when he became a member of group "Abaçaí." This group performed plays, dances and Brazilian pop music. From the very beginning Ari dedicated himself not only to learning but mastering percussion techniques.

He studied at the São Paulo Municipal School of Music and earned a Bachelor's degree in percussion from the University of São Paulo under the guidance of Professor Carlos Tarcha. Since 1989 Ari has accompanied many Brazilian artists in their recordings and concerts. Among others, he has played with Naná Vasconcelos, Mônica Salmaso, Arnaldo Antunes, Egberto Gismonti, and Zizi Possi.

In November of 1998, Ari participated as a special guest in the concert of American trumpet player, Winston Marsalis, showcased by the TV Cultura. In August of 1999, he played with Ricky Martin, who was on a promotional tour in Brazil and Argentina. In addition, Ari was a soloist in three concerts in São Paulo, with the London's Royal Philarmonic Orchestra, International Cuban Star Paquito D' Rivera and César Camargo Mariano and Romero Lubambo, under the direction of Ettore Stratta. In December of 2000, Ari played in the Festival of Brazilian Culture in Hong Kong.

Since 1995, he has performed with songwriter and singer Fortuna, with whom he recorded the albums “Mediterrâneo”, which won him the Sharp Award in 1996, and “Mazal” em 1999. A year later he was featured in the recording of “Caelestia” with monks from the Monastery of Saint Benito and later with the same monks, he recorded "Encontros", having the children from Projeto Guri's Chorus as special guests.

Ari has played and taught all over the world, with performances in Brazil and other Latin American countries, the United States, Asia and Europe. He just returned from a tour in Central America and recently participated in the largest percussion festival in Paris with "Percus-sons". In addition, Ari has performed with the orchestra "Heartbreakers", with whom he recorded "Salsa, Samba, Groove" in the year 2000.

Ari is a member of the Popular Chamber Orchestra, with which he recorded the CD “Danças, Jogos e Canções” in 2003. He also accompanied famous Brazilian singers Mônica Salmaso in her "Iaiá" concert and Zizi Possi in her "Bossa" tour. In the genre of children's music, Ari has played with Paulo Tatit and Sandra Perez from the group "do Selo Palavra Cantada", with whom he recorded their latest CD "Pé com Pé". Colares is a percussionist and professor who specializes in Brazilian percussion and ministers courses and workshops all over Brazil and the world. Besides teaching at Universidade Livre de Música and University of São Paulo, he is also the Musical Director of Abaçaí- Balé Folclórico de São Paulo, a group that carries out research on Brazilian folklore and performs traditional Brazilian dances

Rua General Osório, 46 - Sta. Efigênia - São Paulo - Brazil - Telephone 11 3221 84 77