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Michel Nirenberg

Saxophonist and composer Michel Nirenberg, a native of Rio de Janeiro, has been carving out a niche in the Washington, DC jazz scene since coming to the United States in 2012. He has already made a name for himself in Brazil, performing in many festivals and winning in competitions throughout the country while earning a bachelor’s degree in music at the top of his class from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). In 2014, he graduated with a master’s degree in music from James Madison University, where he was a teaching assistant and active performer. Long before graduation, he was playing with top performers in both countries.

Nirenberg was raised in a family of musicians and studied music since childhood. Becoming a musician was a natural path for him to take. His father plays viola in the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra based in Rio and teaches chamber music at UFRJ. His mother is a gifted pianist who also became a teacher.

His paternal grandfather, Jaques Nirenberg, was a doctor and also a respected violinist with the Brazilian String Quartet. For over five decades they performed in concert halls around the world, including Carnegie Hall and Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Michel would study classical piano, violin, guitar and clarinet before taking up the saxophone at age 15. The horn was a gift from his parents. Although many family members play music, Michel was unique in making that his primary occupation.

His musical style is contemporary Brazilian instrumental music. His latest album shows a fascinating range of influences including choro, the first characteristically Brazilian genre of urban popular music. Choro is characterized by virtuosity, improvisation, and subtle modulations, and is full of syncopation and counterpoint. Nirenberg has the wherewithal to treat it in lively new ways. On the same disc, he performs straight ahead jazz and makes an unexpected leap into the avant-garde on the bonus track.

For a long season of his musical life, Nirenberg’s principal influences were classical; later he immersed himself in various styles of jazz and Brazilian styles (choro, samba, and baião, maracatu), and he listened to multi-instrumentalist Hermeto Pascoal and guitarist/pianist Egberto Gismonte.

His first recording as a leader is Retrato (Portrait) is set for release on the Carioca label in 2015. It boasts Brazilian musicians such as virtuosos Leonardo Lucini on bass and Alejandro Lucini on drums and guitarist Rogério Souza. Argentine guitarist Dani Cortaza and American pianist Alex Brown complete the roster of highly accomplished musicians with international reputations.

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5
Album Review

Michel Nirenberg: Retrato/Portrait

Read "Retrato/Portrait" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi


È un debutto particolarmente brillante questo di Michel Nirenberg, giovane sassofonista brasiliano residente dal 2012 negli Stati Uniti dove ha perfezionato la sua formazione musicale con un master's degree in music performance conseguito alla James Madison University. Nato a Rio De Janeiro in una famiglia vicina alla musica, Michel ha un solido bagaglio classico ma dall'adolescenza ha sviluppato una forte attrazione per il jazz, i generi tipici della musica brasiliana (choro, forró, samba, baião, maracatu) e per la ...

49
Album Review

Michel Nirenberg: Retrato/Portrait

Read "Retrato/Portrait" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky


It only takes a few seconds of listening to “Chorinho Em Aldeia/Na Gloria"--the album-opening track on Retrato/Self Portrait--to realize there's something special about Michel Nirenberg's playing. This young multi-reedist--a native of Rio de Janeiro who's currently based in Washington D.C.--marries virtuosity, exuberance, and emotional depth in his work, confidently covering everything from choro to cha-cha and swing music to samba on this, his debut album. The aforementioned “Chorinho Em Aldeia/Na Gloria" kicks things off in sprightly fashion. ...

20
Take Five With...

Take Five with Michel Nirenberg

Read "Take Five with Michel Nirenberg" reviewed by Michel Nirenberg


Meet Michel Nirenberg: Michel Nirenberg is a Brazilian saxophonist and composer who has performed and recorded in North and South America with some of the leading names in Latin jazz. His first CD as a leader entitled Retrato/Portrait will be released in spring of 2015. It features leading Rogerio Souza, Dani Cortaza and Alex Brown along with Leonardo, Alejandro and Bruno Lucini. Born in jny: Rio de Janeiro, Nirenberg is also an accomplished classical artist. He was ...

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Performance / Tour

Brazilian Saxophonist Michel Nirenberg Announces Fall 2018 U.S. Tour

Brazilian Saxophonist Michel Nirenberg Announces Fall 2018 U.S. Tour

Source: Jazz Beyond Borders

Brazilian saxophonist and composer Michel Nirenberg launches his third U.S. tour in October. With his programs of Brazilian jazz and instrumental music reflecting the fascinating history of Brazil and the rich mix of cultures feeding into its music, Nirenberg serves as an able ambassador to bring this entrancing music to America audiences. The tour begins on October 21 with an appearance at 49 West in Historic Annapolis, Maryland. From then through the first week of December, fans of world music ...

13

Performance / Tour

Brazilian Saxophonist Michel Nirenberg Tours U.S. In Fall Of 2017

Brazilian Saxophonist Michel Nirenberg Tours U.S. In Fall Of 2017

Source: Jazz Beyond Borders

In late September, Brazilian saxophonist and composer Michel Nirenberg will tour Mid-Atlantic cities and towns, sharing the vibrant melodies and captivating rhythms of his homeland with fans of world music and jazz. The tour takes his quartet from the nation’s capital to Baltimore and Annapolis, Rock Hall and Easton on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, and concludes with an appearance in Fairfax, Virginia on November 12. The rising young star will revisit major jazz venues such as the historic Twins Jazz club ...

141

Performance / Tour

Brazil’s Michel Nirenberg Announces Fall Tour Dates In Mid-Atlantic

Brazil’s Michel Nirenberg Announces Fall Tour Dates In Mid-Atlantic

Source: The Phillips Agency

Saxophone master and composer Michel Nirenberg returns to the United States for his 2016 fall tour. In October and November, he’ll share the vibrant melodies and rhythms of his native Brazil with world music and jazz fans in the Maryland cities of Laurel, Baltimore and Annapolis and in Washington, D.C. In recent months, Nirenberg has been making music in his hometown, Rio de Janeiro, collaborating with friends and performing tunes from his 2015 debut album, Retrato/Portrait. First released in the ...

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Recording

Brazil's Michel Nirenberg Releases "Retrato/Portrait"

Brazil's Michel Nirenberg Releases "Retrato/Portrait"

Source: The Phillips Agency

At the age of 25, award-winning saxophonist and composer Michel Nirenberg has attracted some of the finest Brazilian and Latin jazz players available to record his debut album Retrato/Portrait on indie label Carioca Music. They are at once his musical colleagues and mentors, drawn to make music that sails across geographic and stylistic borders. The album will be released in mid-June 2015. With this album of contemporary Brazilian instrumental music, Nirenberg and co-producer Leonardo Lucini aim to share the fullness ...

Primary Instrument

Saxophone

Location

Rio de Janeiro

Credentials/Background

Teacher at B&B Music School since June 2014 – currently teaches saxophone, clarinet, piano and flute as well as music theory, harmony and ear training. Teaching Assistant at James Madison University, 2012-­‐2014 – taught chamber music and private saxophone lessons as well as master classes of general saxophone repertoire and Brazilian music - Private Teacher – teaches piano, clarinet, and saxophone as well as theory, harmony and ear training since 2008

Clinic/Workshop Information

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Retrato/Portrait

Self Produced
2016

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Retrato/Portrait

Self Produced
2015

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Videos

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