4/15/2022
Performances and Artists
Acclaimed Father-Daughter Duo to Perform Brazilian Music from Across a Century on May 13 and 14
As a child, Clarice Assad had no idea she hailed from a family of music legends.
“When I was really young, I did not realize how incredibly gifted my father and uncle were,” says Clarice, born and raised in Brazil.
Little did she know, her house constantly hosted jam sessions for a reason.
Her family built a global following as Brazil’s First Family of Music, starting with her grandfather Seu Jorge, a famous mandolin player, followed by her father Sergio and uncle Odair, hailed as one of the world’s preeminent guitar duos.
Clarice feels grateful she didn’t know this from the start.
“I never had a feeling that what my father did was something I myself could not do, which is a good thing,” she says. “Sometimes growing up with parents who do amazing things and are recognized globally for it might make the child feel that they can never measure up.”
Clarice, however, has done far more than measure up.
Continuing her family’s legacy, Clarice has established her own stunning musical career as a Grammy-nominated composer, vocalist and virtuoso pianist. While her groundbreaking music crosses many genres such as jazz, world music and romanticism, she remains deeply influenced by Brazilian culture.
Now, Clarice and her father Sergio want to showcase their Brazilian heritage to the world.
“The music we choose to perform, for the most part, speaks of hope, resilience and beauty,” Clarice says. “I think people need that more than ever now, in these strange times we are living.”
Celebrating Brazil’s Rich Culture
Clarice and her father perform Brazilian music not only to embrace their heritage – but also because Brazil offers such a vast spectrum of musical styles.
“We not only have a huge geographical space to explore, but we also come from colonialism,” Clarice explains. “(That) inevitably culminated with centuries of cultural trade that originated the rhythms and musical styles that define the country today.”
Clarice and Sergio will reimagine classic songs and showcase all-new originals, spanning samba, bossa nova, Brazilian jazz vocals and more.
“Most of that music is still not very well known outside of Brazil, and we feel that it is important to bring attention to it,” Clarice says.
A Father-Daughter Experience
Clarice has made music with her father all her life, she says.
“We’ve been playing together since I was a toddler. There is a video of us where I am singing a little song he had helped me compose,” she remembers.
Their current duo simply feels like a continuation of that, she adds, clearly demonstrated in their seamless musical connection.
“We really understand and respect each other’s musical languages,” she says. “We also intuitively know what the other is thinking while playing, so we don’t even need to make eye contact for the music to flow. This is really rare to find.”
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