Clarice Cast is a multi-percussionist from São Paulo, Brazil. She earned a Bachelor of Music from Northern Illinois University and a Masters in World Percussion from the California Institute of the Arts. She is an active performer, recording artist, and composer in Los Angeles, CA and is a regular clinician at colleges, universities, and percussion festivals, including the Percussive Arts Society International Convention in 2014.
You can hear Clarice on the sophisticated Lado B Brazilian Project’s debut album, which was nominated for the 58th Grammy Awards in the category of “Best Arrangement Instruments & Vocals.” She is heavily influenced by her native Brazilian culture, and it has been her driving force to learn, perform, write, and teach these styles. Clarice is Viver Brasil’ music director, Los Angeles’ premier Afro-Brazilian dance company. She proudly endorses Contemporânea Musical, Tycoon Percussion Instruments, and Ahead Armor Cases.
Clarice’s “Simple Approach to Pandeiro” is available through her website. It contains over 60 exercises to help you develop your Pandeiro skills, plus a close look to 3 of the most traditional Brazilian rhythms: Capoeira, Baião, and Samba. Here’s the video of Episode 2 of that project, which was compiled on a weekly basis over the course of 2021.
The video below was prepared at a distance, during the Covid epidemic. In it, Clarice performs with two other pandeiristas, Lara Klaus (Recife) and Larissa Umaytá (Brasília). In the video description she writes, “Imagine an instrument capable of opening doors and connecting people from all over the world… that’s the power of the pandeiro! I feel incredibly lucky to be a part of this pandeiro family that introduced me to Lara and Umaytá. I can’t wait to meet them in person!” We feel the same way about meeting Clarice for the first time here at Choro Camp New England.
