BRATISLAVA meets BRAZIL (2025)
A two-day gathering celebrating Brazilian culture through music, movement, and food. Bringing together communities from Brno, Vienna, Budapest, and beyond — now in Bratislava.
The event features samba reggae, samba, samba afro, choro, forró, and capoeira, along with Brazilian food and drinks such as salgadinhos, brigadeiros, pão de queijo, feijoada, churrasco, caipirinha, and good beer.
You can look forward to two workshops led by Gabriel Lopes.
Workshop 1: Roda de Samba with Gabriel Lopes
May 2, 202518:00–21:00
Fee 20€
YUZU House, Bratislava
(If you need an instrument, let us know.)
Join a practical workshop focused on the traditional samba circle, led by Gabriel Lopes, an experienced Brazilian musician and music educator. Gabriel has played in rodas de samba in Rio de Janeiro for over 20 years and has taught at institutions such as the Royal College of Music, the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, and the Conservatorium van Amsterdam.
This workshop will include:
- Percussion: pandeiro, surdo, tantan, and tamborim
- Strings: cavaquinho and violão (acoustic guitar)
Participants will work on rhythms such as samba and ijexá, and explore breaks through a special arrangement of the song Jogo de Sedução.
Open to all levels.
To register or ask questions, contact:
Workshop 2: Samba School Batucada - Gabriel Lopes
May 3, 202511:00–13:00 a 15:00–18:00
Fee 30€
YUZU House, Bratislava
(If you need an instrument, let us know.)
A full-day percussion workshop exploring the rhythms of Rio de Janeiro’s samba schools. Led by Gabriel Lopes, a percussionist with over two decades of experience, the workshop is designed for anyone interested in learning the structure and dynamics of samba school baterias.
Gabriel has played with samba schools such as Vila Isabel, Estácio de Sá, and Acadêmicos da Rocinha, and is the author of three books on samba rhythms used by musicians across the world. He has taught at leading European institutions including the Royal College of Music and the Conservatorium van Amsterdam.
He has also been a member of Monobloco for 25 years, recording albums and DVD´s and touring internationally, and served for 15 years as Mestre de Bateria of Volta Alice, one of Rio’s well-known carnival street groups.
This workshop will cover key samba school grooves and techniques, with arrangements developed for Carnival 2025.
Open to all levels.
To register or ask questions, contact:
Further details about the full programme will be shared soon. For now, we invite all interested musicians and enthusiasts to join the workshops and take part in this first edition of Bratislava meets Brazil. Follow our web and social media 😊
BIG GIG vol.2 Afro-Brazil Night (2024)
Second edition of celebration of african & brazilian music :)
18.5.2024, DK Lúky - Bratislava, 19:00
BIG GIG / Afro-Brazil Night (2023)
Amazing afro-brazil party on the boat, celebration of african & brazilian music :)
20.5.2023, Pink Whale - Bratislava (pinkwhale.sk), 19:00
Gabriel Lopes (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
Gabriel Lopes is a professional musician (percussionist and acoustic guitar player) from Rio de Janeiro. He joined the Brazilian band Monobloco in 2000. There he plays in the gigs and teaches in the percussion workshops. He is a researcher of samba school baterias as well and has released now 3 books on the subject. He played in many samba schools like Acadêmicos da Rocinha, Vila Isabel, actualy plays in Estácio de Sá. https://sambabeats.com.br On the occasion of his first visit to Slovakia, we decided to organize a wonderful afro-brazilian evening with many guests in addition to workshops.
