Blas Rivera

Among Brazil's foremost saxophonists, Blas Rivera fuses jazz with Argentinean tango by casting the saxophone in the bandoneon's stead. The Blas Rivera Quintet attracted 3,000 listeners to a concert at São Paulo's Ibirapuera Park, and critics later named the ensemble the finest act at the 1994 Festival Internacional de Londrina. He has further represented Brazil at Switzerland's Montreux Festival. Rivera established himself in Rio in 1987 after completing undergraduate studies in composition at Cordoba State University in Argentina and postgraduate work in Boston's Third Stream Department. Upon relocating to Brazil he began teaching music and launched his own school, yet soon stepped away from instruction to focus on performances with his own ensemble.