João Callado

Origin

Rio de Janeiro, RJ

Genres

samba, choro, mpb

Instruments

cavaquinho, guitar

Biography

João Callado da Silva Pereira is a Brazilian cavaquinho player, composer, arranger, producer, and painter born in Rio de Janeiro on August 7, 1973. Growing up in a deeply artistic household — son of flutist Marcio Pereira, actress Tessy Callado, and grandson of writer Antônio Callado — he began studying music in his childhood under the guidance of his father and renowned masters such as Dino Sete Cordas and Henrique Cazes. Alongside his extensive musical trajectory, he also graduated in Painting from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) in 1997 and has participated in multiple art exhibitions.

As an instrumentalist and founding member of the influential Grupo Semente, created in 1999 at Bar Semente in Lapa, Rio de Janeiro, Callado has helped revitalize and sustain traditional samba and choro. Throughout his career, he has accompanied legendary Brazilian artists such as Paulinho da Viola, Marisa Monte, Caetano Veloso, Beth Carvalho, and Dona Ivone Lara. His collaborations with singer Teresa Cristina resulted in numerous acclaimed albums and DVDs, firmly establishing him as a vital figure in contemporary Brazilian acoustic music.

In addition to his instrumental work, Callado has built a solid reputation as a composer, co-writing songs with notable artists like Teresa Cristina, Adriana Calcanhotto, Moyseis Marques, and Délcio Carvalho. He continues to perform both in Brazil and internationally, taking traditional Brazilian rhythms to stages across the globe while maintaining his dual artistic passion for music and visual arts.