Renato Borghetti

Renato Borghetti stands out as an instrumentalist whose background lies in a part of Brazil long overlooked by the dominant music industry. Even so, he secured both widespread commercial appeal and esteem from fellow musicians at home and abroad while delivering instrumental work rooted in regional traditions yet enriched by jazz and classical influences. Twice he appeared at the Free Jazz Festival in São Paulo and has taken the stage as featured soloist with various symphonic and chamber ensembles, among them the Orquestra Sinfônica de Porto Alegre. His travels have also carried him to stages in Germany, the U.S., Uruguay, and Argentina. Early exposure came through his father, a participant in Porto Alegre’s CTG (Gaúcho Tradition Center), who guided him toward music in childhood. At age ten Borghetti received his first eight-button accordion, the instrument that remains his signature. He entered the professional arena at fifteen during a major regional festival in Rio Grande do Sul in the ’80s. The independent 1984 LP Renato Borghetti Gaita-Ponto earned gold certification—the first such honor for a Brazilian instrumental release—after surpassing 100,000 units. Its later CD edition approached 250,000 copies and attained platinum status. Following that breakthrough, Borghetti initially adhered to conventional gaúcho repertoire; across the dozen recordings issued through 1999 he broadened those local forms by incorporating jazz and classical elements into milonga, chamamé, vanerão, tango, baião, and samba. Appearances in Germany took place in 1987, followed the next year by slots at the Free Jazz Festival in São Paulo and Projeto Pixinguinha in Rio de Janeiro. The APCA (Association of Art Critics of São Paulo) honored him in 1991. Popular audiences have embraced his work, yet so have established instrumentalists including Luís Gonzaga, Hermeto Pascoal, Sivuca, Dominguinhos, Stephane Grapelli, and Ron Carter.