Many of the early great composers and performers of the choro genre were Afro-Brazilians, like Patapio Silva and Pixinguinha. In this lecture, Ceylon Mitchell talks about Pixinguinha, the father of Brazilian choro. Pixinguinha’s compositions and playing style are by far the most popular and have a heavy influence to this day. Ceylon will demonstrate Pixinguinha’s compositional innovations, such as his use of counterpoint melody.

This is a free, in-person, and socially distanced event that will later be posted to EducArte’s YouTube page. EducArte follows all City of College Park, Prince George’s County, and Maryland State safety guidelines.

About Ceylon Mitchell:

Ceylon Mitchell II is a contemporary classical flutist, educator, and entrepreneur on a mission to celebrate Black and Latinx voices in classical music. Originally from Anchorage, Alaska, he now resides in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. After earning a Bachelor of Music (Woodwind Performance) and a Master of Music Education degree from Boston University, he went on to earn a Master of Music Performance degree from the University of Maryland, College Park. Ceylon is currently a Doctor of Musical Arts student under the tutelage of Dr. Sarah Frisof, also at the University of Maryland, College Park. Recent achievements include the Strathmore Artist in Residence Class of 2021, a Prince George’s County Forty UNDER 40 Award in Arts & Humanities, and a 2019 Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council Artist Fellowship Grant. As part of the grant, Ceylon and an acclaimed ensemble presented a classical crossover series of music performances during National Hispanic Heritage Month 2019, exploring classical and popular flute music in the Latin American countries of Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Brazil.

An active freelance flutist and chamber musician, Ceylon is committed to promoting traditionally marginalized communities. As a music educator, Ceylon maintains a private studio in Maryland and serves as the Potomac Valley Youth Orchestra flute choir conductor. He previously served as a teaching artist with the Boston Flute Academy and as the director of the Boston University Flute Ensemble. Ceylon supports performing artists, arts organizations, and beyond with multimedia production and digital marketing consulting as the founder and co-owner of M3 | Mitchell Media & Marketing, LLC. He is also an active arts advocate in the D.C. area, serving as the marketing committee chair with the Umoja Flute Institute, a junior board member of Washington Performing Arts, a Professional Member of the Recording Academy Washington D.C. Chapter, and Arts Advocates Network of Maryland (AAMN) member with Maryland Citizens for the Arts. Ceylon currently resides in Prince George’s County, Maryland with his wife and two sons.

This final lecture in the Choro Lecture Series will be followed by a short performance/demonstration of choro music.

This project was made possible by a grant from Maryland Humanities, with funding received from the Maryland Historical Trust in the Maryland Department of Planning. Maryland Humanities’ Grants Program is also supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities and private funders. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this series do not necessarily represent those of Maryland Humanities, Maryland Historical Trust, Maryland Department of Planning, or National Endowment for the Humanities.

Learn more about the full Choro Lecture Series this fall.