Born in the capital city of Brasilia, Fabio Oliveira moved to the United States with his family when he was two years old. He went on to do his university studies in both countries with the goal of becoming a professor of percussion. And lo, from 2009 until 2019 Fabio led the percussion department at the Federal Univeristy in Goiás, Brazil before being hired in the same capacity at Rowan University in New Jersey, where he and his wife Fernanda Silveira (joining us as cavaquinho instructor) now reside.
As a performer of traditional Brazilian music, Fabio has accompanied such well-known Brazilian artists as Diogo Nogueira and Lenine. He was also a percussionist and conductor of the Brazilian big band Banda Pequi. He has recorded with Leila Pinheiro, Nelson Faria, João Bosco and Monica Salmaso. He also participated in the recording of the DVD “Mães D’Água”, accompanying singers Mart’nália, Luciana Mello, Margareth Menezes, Daúde, Paula Lima and Alaíde Costa. Fabio was a band member of samba group Heróis de Botequim for 5 years, traveling and playing shows throughout Brazil.
As a performer, conductor and educator, Fabio comfortably navigates between the traditional sounds of his native Brazil, Western popular music and the European classical canon. He’ll be teaching pandeiro in choro classes, but introducing a wider range of percussion instruments for those who opt to explore other brazilian musical traditions.
