Claudia Castelo Branco

Origin

Rio de Janeiro, RJ

Also known as

Claudia de Araújo Castelo Branco Castro

Years Active

2008–2024

Genres

MPB, jazz, música instrumental brasileira, choro, samba, bossa nova, forró

Instruments

piano, voz

Biography

Claudia Castelo Branco is a Brazilian pianist, composer, arranger, and singer born in Rio de Janeiro on January 10, 1981. She began her piano studies at the age of five at the National Conservatory of Music. She holds a bachelor's degree in piano from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and a master's degree in composition from UNIRIO. Her musical training also includes composition studies at Ithaca College in New York and studies in orchestral percussion.

She is widely known for forming Duo Gisbranco alongside pianist Bianca Gismonti, with whom she explores the fusion of piano and voice, Brazilian and Latin rhythms, and jazz. The duo, which celebrates over 10 years of activity, has released several albums and performed in various European cities. Gisbranco's work is marked by the exploration of piano soundscapes on the border between popular and classical music, interpreting composers such as Egberto Gismonti, Hermeto Pascoal, Astor Piazzolla, and Villa-Lobos, in addition to their own compositions.

As a solo artist, Claudia Castelo Branco has released albums such as "Cantada carioca", dedicated to female composers from Rio de Janeiro, and "Viva Sivuca", a tribute to accordionist Sivuca. Her discography also includes collaborations with other Brazilian artists, such as Marcos Suzano, Pedro Miranda, and Fred Ferreira. The artist demonstrates great versatility by moving through different genres of Brazilian music, such as choro, samba, bossa nova, and forró, always with a contemporary and original approach.

Discography

• Gisbranco (2005)
• Claudia Castelo Branco, Marcos Campello – Você na Nuvem (2016)
• Duo Gisbranco Dez Anos (2016)
• Pássaros (2018)
• Cantada Carioca (2021)
• Pássaros - Homenagem a Chico César (Ao Vivo) (2021)
• Viva Sivuca (2024)