José Miguel Wisnik

Origin

São Vicente, SP

Also known as

Ze Miguel Wisnik

Years Active

1968

Genres

MPB, classical, soundtrack

Instruments

piano

Biography

José Miguel Wisnik is a prominent Brazilian musician, composer, essayist, and professor born in São Vicente on October 27, 1948. Although he studied classical piano extensively in his youth and performed as a soloist with the São Paulo Municipal Orchestra at age seventeen, he ultimately pursued a distinguished academic path in literature, earning his degrees from the University of São Paulo, where he later taught as a professor of Brazilian Literature.

Throughout his multifaceted career, Wisnik has released numerous albums and collaborated with iconic figures of Brazilian music, such as Elza Soares, Tom Zé, and Caetano Veloso. His musical output includes acclaimed solo records as well as celebrated soundtracks for dance companies like Grupo Corpo and films directed by Walter Salles. Alongside his composition work, he has authored influential literary and cultural essays, including O Som e o Sentido and Veneno Remédio: O Futebol e o Brasil.

Deeply integrated into the Brazilian cultural landscape, Wisnik continues to perform, lecture, and write, bridging the worlds of academic literary theory and popular music. He has received multiple honors throughout his career, including Jabuti Awards and the Order of Cultural Merit, cementing his legacy alongside artists like Ná Ozzetti and Arthur Nestrovski in shaping modern Brazilian artistic discourse.

Discography

• O Som e o Sentido: Uma Trilha para o Som e o Sentido (1989)
• Jose Miguel Wisnik (1992)
• Nazareth (1993)
• Parabelo (Trilha Sonora Original do Espetáculo do Grupo Corpo) (1997)
• São Paulo Rio (2000)
• Pérolas aos Poucos (2003)
• Tom Zé e Zé Miguel Wisnik – Parabelo (2003)
• Caetano Veloso, José Miguel Wisnik – Onqoto (2005)
• Onqotô (Trilha Sonora Original do Espetáculo do Grupo Corpo) (2005)
• Indivisível (2011)
• Carlos Núñez e José Miguel Wisnik Sobre Canções de Martín Codax – Sem Mim (2011)
• Ná Ozzetti & Zé Miguel Wisnik – Ná e Zé (2015)
• Alaíde Costa Canta José Miguel Wisnik – O Anel (2020)
• Vão (2022)
• Mais Simples (2026)