CHORO DAS 3
CHORO DAS 3
Brazilian choro
São Paulo, Brazil
Choro das 3 is a Brazilian group made up of three sisters—Corina, Elisa, and Lia Meyer Ferreira—who play a multitude of instruments. Growing up in the countryside of São Paulo, their father Eduardo encouraged them to find an instrument to fall in love with, and each found their calling. A family band at its heart, this is the group’s first tour without their father, who died early in the COVID-19 pandemic. “It’s not just a musical tour but a healing tour,” Corina reflects, “sharing the music our father loved and reconnecting with our fans.”
Considered Brazil’s first urban popular music, choro is an instrumental genre of music that expresses the Brazilian soul. It arose in 19th century Rio de Janeiro when musicians of African, Indigenous Brazilian, and Portuguese heritage began to merge popular European salon dances—polkas and waltzes—with African and Indigenous rhythms. Choro, meaning “cry” or “lament” in Portuguese, is joyous-sounding music characterized by dizzying speeds, virtuosic improvisation, syncopation, and surprising changes of key. The genre spread to national prominence, but after being wildly popular in the early 1920s to 1940s throughout Brazil, choro fell out of favor. Fortunately, a rebirth occurred in the 1970s when a new generation of choro musicians emerged, and it is still holding strong today, especially in informal “roda de choro” (choro circles) in homes, bars, and clubs in Brazil’s cities.
While the three sisters were still quite young, they attended and played in weekly choro circles in São Paulo and quickly started to gain notice. In a genre dominated by men, it was unusual to see a family with young girls playing in choro jam sessions. With their father Eduardo anchoring the group on pandeiro, the family group started performing on tv and radio, and performed their first concert at the U.S. consulate in São Paulo. They released their first album in 2008 and that same year, received the Best Group of the Year, awarded by the São Paulo Critics Association. They have released 11 albums and have toured across North America, Europe, and Brazil.
Choro das 3’s instrumentation features Corina on flute and piccolo; Elisa on mandolin, accordion, banjo, and clarinet; and Lia on 7-string guitar. The three sisters continue to expertly play the beloved music their father passed down to them. Their performances at the Lowell Folk Festival provide a unique opportunity to hear this complex and vibrant music.
Website and Social media: chorodas3.com
