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Felipe Fraga
Brazilian percussionist, drummer and vocalist
Felipe was born on December 18, 1980 in Curitiba, Parana, in Brazil’s southern region. With the encouragement of his mom, Maria, he took his first drum lessons at the tender age of 9. By the time he was 12 he was a member of Paraná’s renowned Tia Paula’s Marching Band, where he further developed his abilities, focusing his repertoire on classical music. At age 16 he gained acceptance into the Fine Arts and Music School of Paraná (EMBAP) during which Felipe was actively performing with local Symphonic and Philharmonic Orchestras, big bands and marching bands, and later, participating in the Annual Music Symposium of Curitiba (Oficina de Musica de Curitiba). It was at the Music Symposiums that Felipe was introduced to MPB (Popular music of Brazil), leading him to take part in the MPB Orchestra of Curitiba, Choro groups, various session recordings, the short film ‘Rosinha Minha Sereia’ and teaching with MPB Conservatory. While in Brazil Felipe had performed with Arthur Moreira Lima, Altamiro Carrilho, Jose Canuto, Roberto Gnatalli, Joel Nascimento and many more. Felipe’s musical journey led him to the United States at the age of 20 where he relocated to Chicago establishing himself as a performing artist. With many great collaborations under his belt, Felipe continues to be a force in the Brazilian music scene. While in Chicago he has performed/recorded with: Howard Levy, Roberto Assad, Bobby Broom, Bob Lizik, Yolanda Adams and Joe Vasconcelos. Other recent engagements include: the Democratic Convention of 2004, openings for Vinicius Cantuaria and Daniela Mercury.
Written by Rachel Montiel
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