Lucas Telles is one of the most prominent names in the musical scene of Minas Gerais, with a career that includes composition, guitar-playing, music production and education. A professor in the Department of Voice and Instrument at UFMG, he teaches Music Production, Recording, Ensemble Practice and directs the UFMG Choro Orchestra. His innovative work earned him the BDMG Instrumental Award in both 2013 and 2019.
Lucas holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music with a specialization in Guitar from UFMG, and is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Music with a focus on Analytical and Creative Practices. He was also a professor at UFOP, where he taught guitar, harmony, improvisation and counterpoint and also coordinated the Guitar Orchestra. Between 2020 and 2023, he was a music theory instructor at CifraClub. He created courses, manuals and e-books, supervised the CifraClub Academy, and created online music education content.
Lucas’ compositions are characterized by their diverse stylistic influences. In 2019, he released his debut solo album, ‘Outono’ (Autumn), featuring nine original compositions that blend such Brazilian genres as choro, samba, jongo, waltz, and forró with jazz and classical music. In 2021, he released two new works: the single ‘Modinha do Adeus’, a collaboration with poet Rogério Santos and performed by Luísa Lacerda, and the EP ‘Trilhar’, a collection of three solo guitar pieces. In 2024, he released the EP ‘Primavera’ (Spring), a collaboration with pianist and composer Luísa Mitre.
His awards include wins in the composition competitions ‘Novas 3’ in 2016 and ‘Novas 4’ in 2018, and the Choro Novo Festival Composition Contest, in 2012. He was also selected for the “BH Instrumental” project in 2016 and the “Música Independente” project in 2013. He was named BDMG Young Musician in 2009 and BDMG Young Instrumentalist in 2011.
As a member of the group Toca de Tatu, Lucas can be heard on ‘Meu Amigo Radamés’ (2013), ‘Afinidade’ (2017), and ‘Toca de Tatu’ (2021). His career also includes collaborations with Marku Ribas, Waldir Silva, Serginho Beagá, Ricardo Koctus, Túlio Araújo, Deh Mussulini, Alexandre Rezende, Lucas Viotti, and Giselle Couto, among others. His compositions and arrangements have been played by Serginho Beagá, FLUTUAR (Flute Orchestra), Geraes Big Band,Rebecca Kleinmann and Assanhado Quarteto.
On stage, Lucas regularly performs at international festivals and events, with highlights including appearances at the Clube de Choro of London, the International Choro Festival of Paris, the Escola Portátil de Música in the Netherlands, the California Jazz Conservatory, Instrumental SESC Brasil in São Paulo and the Festival Choro da Casa de Ribeirão Preto, also in São Paulo. He has also shared the stage with such icons of Brazilian instrumental music as Cristóvão Bastos, Léa Freire, Toninho Carrasqueira, Nailor Proveta, Orquestra Ouro Preto, Zé Nogueira, and Juarez Moreira.
Here’s a Lucas two-fer: Telles and Ladeia, both of whom will be on staff at CCNE this year. They are playing a hommage to Dino 7 Cordas co-written by the master 7-string guitarist himself, “Minha Crença.”