Biography
Few bassoonists anywhere sustain simultaneous careers in classical music and jazz the way Alexandre Silvério has managed. As the principal bassoonist of the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra (OSESP), he regularly takes part in performances of core repertory pieces. In jazz he authored a volume devoted to blues scales and improvisation on the bassoon. His discography includes multiple releases, among them the 2024 album Francisco Mignone: Concertos and Concertinos.
Silvério entered the world in 1975 in Osasco, within greater São Paulo. His father steered him toward piano lessons when he was six. At fifteen an LP by recorder player Michala Petri that included bassoonist Klaus Thunemann drew him to the instrument. He began studies with Gustav Busch and continued afterward with Francisco Formiga. Those lessons soon led to positions in several Brazilian groups, among them the Orquestra Experimental de Repertório and the São Paulo State Wind Band. At twenty he acquired the Charlie Parker edition of the Omnibook series out of curiosity about instructional books outside the bassoon repertoire. The purchase deepened his involvement with jazz; he subsequently studied with wind player Roberto Sion and later with saxophonist Hudson Nogueira. He pursued additional training at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin and at the Karajan Akademie of the Berliner Philharmoniker. In 2007 he made his first appearance on disc in a recording of Villa-Lobos' Bachianas Brasileiras issued by the Cellists of the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra.
Beyond his OSESP post, Silvério has collaborated with other Brazilian ensembles. Additional recordings feature Brazilian works less widely known than those of Villa-Lobos. In 2015 he issued the jazz album Entre Mundos. He returned to the catalog in 2024 on the Naxos label, performing composer Francisco Mignone’s bassoon concerto with the São Paulo Symphony. He also serves on the faculty of the São Paulo Symphony’s music academy. Silvério created the Bassoon Lesson Online platform and wrote the instructional book The Blues Scales.
Silvério entered the world in 1975 in Osasco, within greater São Paulo. His father steered him toward piano lessons when he was six. At fifteen an LP by recorder player Michala Petri that included bassoonist Klaus Thunemann drew him to the instrument. He began studies with Gustav Busch and continued afterward with Francisco Formiga. Those lessons soon led to positions in several Brazilian groups, among them the Orquestra Experimental de Repertório and the São Paulo State Wind Band. At twenty he acquired the Charlie Parker edition of the Omnibook series out of curiosity about instructional books outside the bassoon repertoire. The purchase deepened his involvement with jazz; he subsequently studied with wind player Roberto Sion and later with saxophonist Hudson Nogueira. He pursued additional training at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin and at the Karajan Akademie of the Berliner Philharmoniker. In 2007 he made his first appearance on disc in a recording of Villa-Lobos' Bachianas Brasileiras issued by the Cellists of the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra.
Beyond his OSESP post, Silvério has collaborated with other Brazilian ensembles. Additional recordings feature Brazilian works less widely known than those of Villa-Lobos. In 2015 he issued the jazz album Entre Mundos. He returned to the catalog in 2024 on the Naxos label, performing composer Francisco Mignone’s bassoon concerto with the São Paulo Symphony. He also serves on the faculty of the São Paulo Symphony’s music academy. Silvério created the Bassoon Lesson Online platform and wrote the instructional book The Blues Scales.
Albums
