Márcio BAHIA, drums Born in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro in 1958, Márcio Bahia began playing drums at age 13. In 1974 he began his firststudies with Sérgio Murio who also taught musical theory. In 1976, he enrolled in the Escola de Música Villa Lobos where he studied percussion. He was a member of the Villa Lobos Music School’s percussion group, which won first prize in the school’s musical competition in their category. In that same competition, he also won first prize as a soloist. In 1978, he joined the Orquestra Sinfónica do Teatro Municipal do Rio, where he remained until the end of 1980. In February 1981, he joined Hermeto Pascoal’s renowned ensemble as drummer/percussionist in, evolving his musical ideas and broadening his horizons.He remains a member of that group, or "school" as the group is thought of, participating in their mission of bringing the universal music of Brazil to othercountries, performing in important festivals, theaters and events around the world, winning acclaim for their recordings and performances.



He also performed with the American vibraphonist David Friedman in the First Pan American "Encontro de Percussão" in São Paulo in 1988. For two years he was a member of the faculty at the International Summer Studies Program in Brasilia (CIVBRA).



In July of 2000 he was invited to Montevideo, Uruguay by the Music University there to teach a course on contemporary Brazilian percussion. Contemporaneously with his work with Hermeto Pascoal, Márcio Bahia has performed, recorded and toured, accompanying numerous luminaries of Brazilian music, including Danilo Caymmi, Roberto Menescal, Wanda Sá, Marcos Valle, Maria Bethânia, Zélia Duncan, Carlos Lyra, Leila Pinheiro, Leny Andrade, Jovino dos Santos, and others.