On December 31, 2025, Brazilian ukulele player, composer, and educator João Tostes releases The Curupira Concert. Recorded live on June 30, 2018, at Instituto Curupira, inside the Casa da Cultura of Barbacena, Brazil, the album documents a decisive moment in the artist’s trajectory and proposes a listening experience grounded in authenticity and memory.
Recorded shortly before the tours that would later consolidate his international circulation, the album captures an artist in a period of aesthetic maturation. More than a simple live recording, The Curupira Concert functions as a faithful portrait of that moment, presenting a repertoire that dialogues with the roots of Brazilian instrumental music through a chamber ensemble format: João Tostes on ukulele, Felipe Moreira on piano, and Diogo Fernandes on bass.
Artistic Integrity and Memory
In a musical landscape increasingly shaped by fast consumption and streaming algorithms, The Curupira Concert represents a conscious choice in favor of artistic integrity. The production preserves the natural breathing of the performance, the interaction with the audience, and the real dynamics of the trio, maintaining the truth of the stage in contrast to the excessively polished sound common in today’s market.
“This album is a commitment to the truth of that night. It is a commented concert, with its risks and real emotions. I chose to preserve the recording without filters, valuing the live performance as an act of memory and continuity, prioritizing the emotion of the moment over studio perfection,” says João Tostes.
The recording, mixing, and mastering were all carried out by the artist himself, reinforcing the aesthetic decision to preserve the historical and documentary character of the concert.
The Stage as Part of the Work
The cover photograph, taken by Hilreli, documents the original stage design of the concert, conceived by João Tostes as an integral part of the work. The visual space was built using kite frames, an element that runs through the performance not as decoration, but as a poetic provocation.
During the concert, the artist comments on the stage design and invites the audience to reflect through direct questions about choices, paths, and tensions that shape each personal trajectory. The kite emerges as a visual metaphor for fragility, movement, risk, and freedom, expanding the concert beyond sound and transforming it into gesture, image, and thought.
Repertoire Highlights
Leading the ukulele as a solo voice, an approach developed over more than 25 years of musical experience and consolidated through 15 years dedicated to the instrument, João Tostes and his trio move between original compositions and personal interpretations of Brazilian musical tradition. The arrangements explore formal freedom, harmonic density, and what is often referred to as Brazilian ginga.
Among the original compositions, Delicato Ukulele stands out as a central work in the concert. Widely recognized as a reference within contemporary Brazilian ukulele repertoire and frequently cited as the Brazilian ukulele anthem, the piece ranks among the most performed of João Tostes’ career, with documented listeners in over 140 countries and constant audience requests in concerts across different cities and countries.
The repertoire also includes personal readings of Brazilian classics such as Flor Amorosa by Joaquim Callado, Berimbau by Baden Powell and Vinícius de Moraes, Brasileirinho by Waldir Azevedo, and Gaúcho (O Corta-Jaca) by Chiquinha Gonzaga. These works are revisited through a chamber music perspective, without percussion, in direct dialogue between the three instruments.
Official website: https://joaotostes.com
Album Information
- Album: The Curupira Concert
- Artist: João Tostes
- Release date: December 31, 2025
- Format: Digital, independent release
- Pre-save: https://found.ee/curupira
Ensemble:
- João Tostes – Ukulele
- Felipe Moreira – Piano
- Diogo Fernandes – Bass
Press and Contact:
- producao@tocaukulele.com.br
- +55 32 99855-3450
Available for interviews and editorial features.
Stream Music
YouTube:
https://youtube.com/tocaukulele
Spotify:
Apple Music:
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/jo%C3%A3o-tostes/1247604976
Deezer:
https://www.deezer.com/en/artist/11710403
Tidal:
https://tidal.com/artist/8838510
YouTube Music:
https://music.youtube.com/channel/UC_TrBY0oNPoh53O8wvUV8Lw
Get Connected With Social Media
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- Instagram: https://instagram.com/joaotostes
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/joaotostesuke
More
- Wikipedia article (Portuguese): https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/João_Tostes
- Artist profile at Instituto Memória Musical Brasileira (IMMuB): https://immub.org/artista/joao-tostes
