Yuri Villar
Biographie Yuri Villar
Yuri Villar
I began my musical journey at age eight, playing the violin using the Suzuki method, and continued until I was twelve. Afterward, I studied piano briefly before encountering the saxophone at age fifteen. I started my studies with *choro* musician Mario Pereira, and a year later, I began lessons with the renowned French-Brazilian saxophonist Idriss Boudrioua. In 2002, I entered the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), where I studied under Professor and conductor José Rua, as well as professors Fernando Trocado, Marco Tulio, and Julio Merlino.
During this time, I was a member of the UFRJazz Ensemble—the university's jazz big band—and recorded the album *Paisagens do Rio*, featuring compositions and guest appearances by Guinga, Carlos Malta, Jovino Santos, Francis Hime, and Gilson Peranzeta, among others.
While attending university, I also joined the Itiberê Orquestra Família, led by the great bassist Itiberê Zwarg (of Hermeto Pascoal's group). I performed with the orchestra for seven years, recording the albums *Calendário do Som* (2005) and *Contrastes* (2009) and touring across Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay.
Since 2006, I have been a member of Grupo Água Viva, a Brazilian popular music ensemble. The group won the 2007 Tápias Award for Integrated Arts and toured festivals throughout Latin America. In 2011, the group released its debut album, *Mundo ao Revés*, featuring a guest appearance by Bibi Ferreira on one of the tracks. The album was ranked among the top 100 of 2011 by the specialized website *Embrulhador*. In 2012, the group won the MEC and Nacional Radio Award for Best Instrumental Performance and Arrangement. In 2016, we released our second album, *O Louco*.
In 2007, I joined the Brazilian instrumental group Bondesom, with whom I recorded the albums *Bondesom* (2008), *Procurando Lola* (2012), *Três* (2014), and *Pista Livre* (2021). The group has performed over 300 times and participated in major festivals such as Viradão Cultural, Conexão Rio, the Leblon Jazz Festival, and Copafest.
In 2012, I formed the wind sextet Inventos with former orchestra colleagues; we released a self-titled album funded by the state government's music support fund (FAM). We are currently working on the *Inventos_Livre* project, combining the wind section with two drum kits.
In 2016, I formed "Relógio de Dalí," a quartet that proposes a more contemporary aesthetic for instrumental music, exploring new approaches to form and improvisation. The group released an EP in 2017 and performed at major festivals such as MIMO, the Villa-Lobos Festival, and FIL. A new album is currently being finalized.
In 2011, I became associated with Estúdio DoBeco and deepened my knowledge of audio recording and editing techniques. Since then, I have composed various soundtracks for TV and film; the most notable is the score for the feature film *Sudoeste* by director Eduardo Nunes, which won the Special Jury Prize at the 2011 Rio Festival, among other international awards. In addition to all these projects, I also found time to collaborate with, write arrangements for, and record alongside various artists—such as Tereza Cristina, Antonia Adnet, Vinicius Castro, Luiza Sales, Mario Adnet, Roberta Sá, and Geraldo Azevedo, among others.
Oh, and I was also a regular in musical theater! I played in productions such as *Fé na Parada* (by Ernesto Piccolo); *O Grande Circo Místico* (by Chico Buarque and Edu Lobo, directed by João Fonseca); *Amargo Fruto: A Vida de Billie Holiday* (by Ticiana Studart and Jau Sant’Angelo); *Simbora: A História de Wilson Simonal* (by Nelson Motta and Patricia Andrade); *A Cuíca do Laurindo* (by Rodrigo Alzuguir); and *A Gota D’Água [A Seco]* (by Chico Buarque and Paulo Pontes, directed by Rafael Gomez).
In 2019, I released my debut solo album, *Futuro Agora*—a retrospective of my musical journey inspired by the birth of my first son, Matias. In 2020, I released three original singles and two audiovisual projects: “Onde mora o som” (Where Sound Lives)—duets with renowned musicians filmed in single continuous takes by Marcelo Fedrá—and “#Stents,” a series of video-musical interventions created in response to other musicians' Instagram posts.
In 2021, I released two songs: “Passageiro,” in collaboration with Jade Prata, and “Todo Céu,” with Pedro Mann. I also recorded two original instrumental EPs—one with a full band and another featuring piano duets with female instrumentalists. Both are set for release in 2022.
In March 2022, I released “Samba Maltês,” a tribute to saxophonist Carlos Malta that features him on soprano sax. In July, I released “Baiãozinho” with violinist Carol Panesi.
The next steps involve releasing the new albums and three additional original instrumental singles.
