Benjamin Sandino Hohagen

Origin

Piracicaba, SP

Also known as

Sandino Hohagen

Years Active

1999–2020

Genres

MPB, avant-garde music, experimental, jazz

Instruments

keyboards, winds

Biography

Benjamin Sandino Hohagen, artistically known as Sandino Hohagen, was a renowned Brazilian conductor, teacher, and arranger. Born in Piracicaba, São Paulo, Hohagen built a prominent musical career, working both in Brazil and internationally. His career includes the creation and conducting of several orchestras, such as the Amazonas Jazz Band, which he founded, and the Manaus Municipal Symphony Orchestra, where he served as principal conductor. His expertise led him to work with numerous great Brazilian artists and to carry out projects in Europe and South America.

During the period of the military dictatorship in Brazil, Hohagen lived abroad for a time, returning in 1999. Upon his return, he took on prominent positions in the Manaus music scene, becoming associate conductor of the Amazonas Philharmonic Orchestra and teacher/director of the Cláudio Santoro Cultural Center. His dedication to music education also extended to conservatories in France, such as those in Meudon, Fontenay-aux-Roses, and La Rochelle, where he taught and directed.

Sandino Hohagen was recognized in the musical milieu as a "true walking musical library," given his vast erudition and knowledge. His work spanned various genres, combining elements of folklore, rock, and avant-garde music, with unusual and experimental instrumentations. He collaborated with artists like Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, contributing arrangements to emblematic albums of the Tropicalist movement. He passed away in 2020 in the city of Avignon, France, leaving a significant legacy for Brazilian music.