About us

Founded in 2016, the Clube was born out of a desire to share and introduce Choro music across as many people as possible.
This lively, sparkling, catchy music is an invitation to be cheerful. It is impossible to resist its syncopated rhythms… from finger snapping to hip swaying, everyone is naturally drawn in!
Each Roda is an opportunity for the audience and musicians to come together in a moment of sharing and joy. But Choro, which means ‘crying’ in Portuguese, can also provoke profound emotions.
Although it was the first urban instrumental music in Brazil, providing the basis for Samba and then Bossa, Choro remains unknown to many people.

When the club was launched, its activities mainly consisted of organising concerts in collaboration with Brazilian musicians on European tour. These concerts were an opportunity to introduce this original style of music, which turned out to be a great success with the public.

The uniqueness of this music lies in its improvisational nature and the freedom it offers to its various musicians. All this is done in a spirit of camaraderie, exchange and playfulness.
This characteristic of Choro, combining humour, variety and playing collectively to syncopated rhythms, aroused the curiosity of the public and inspired the desire to create a space, a meeting place designed to promote the knowledge and development of this technique.
Like Choro itself, the Clube thrives on the diversity of the people it welcomes.
The idea is not to claim the excellence of Brazilian Choro Clubs, but at our level, to offer a place for exchange, learning and practice of this music.
It is a place that welcomes everyone, from amateur practitioners in search of new experiences to renowned musicians in the field who are always ready to share their knowledge.
To this end, the Clube’s activities are organised around learning workshops and public performances.

The Clube musicians

Sylvain Boisvert

Originally trained in classical music, Sylvain has had a very eclectic career.
He studied in France at the Tarbes Conservatory and the Toulouse Conservatory from 1987 to 1999. He quickly became interested in extended techniques on the flute (multiphonics, flute and voice, percussive sounds, etc.) and musical improvisation.
He also plays the C flute, alto flute, bass flute, piccolo and pifano (traditional Brazilian bamboo flute).
Always keen to try new experiences, he diversified his practice by playing in various groups alongside Gnawa musicians (Morocco), in a forró group and in a Son Jarocho group (traditional Mexican music from Vera Cruz).
Keen to make music accessible to all, he teaches music as a private tutor and also at a specialist institution for children (IRSA).

It was his encounter with the world of the famous Hermeto Pascoal (Brazilian multi-instrumentalist and composer) that sparked his passion for Brazilian music. This led him to travel to Brazil many times, where he had the opportunity to train with renowned musicians such as Antonio Rocha, Eduardo Neves, Itiberê Zwarg…
In 2016, he founded the Clube de Choro de Bruxelas with Brazilian bassist Everton Rodrigues with the aim of sharing his passion.

Matteo Carola

With a Master’s degree in jazz guitar (2013), Matteo trained at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels under Fabien Degryse and Victor Da Costa.
Already fascinated by João Gilberto’s guitar playing and magical voice, he discovered the sambas of Cartola and Nelson Cavaquinho thanks to Victor Da Costa (Brazilian), whose rhythms and sounds (especially the 7-string guitar playing) instantly captivated him. During the summer of 2012, he discovered another style of Brazilian music, Choro.
Fascinated by this new style, he undertook several study trips to Brazil (2013, 2016 and 2019), where he learned to play the cavaquinho (a small 4-string guitar typical of choro and samba) and discovered the breadth and depth of the world of Brazilian guitar.
Alongside his activities as a professional musician (jazz, Brazilian music, Neapolitan song), he also teaches, both in public institutions (academies) and associations (Clube do Choro de Bruxelas) and as a private tutor.