"New Sounds of Brazil" is the title of the concert that the Radio Big Band will perform on Thursday on the 18th of April at 19:00 on the stage of the Radio Hall. The orchestra, conducted by Simona Strungaru, has a renowned guest, Brazilian musician Emiliano Sampaio, guitarist, trombonist and author of all the pieces on the programme. More about this event from the main protagonist, Emiliano Sampaio.

You've worked with a lot of major orchestras. How did this collaboration with the Radio Romania Big Band begin?

As you said, we have worked with many orchestras around the world, in Brazil, Europe, Australia. Then I met Simona Strungaru and Sebastian Burneci when they were in Graz, where I have been living for 12 years. From them I learned about the Radio Big Band and I thought it was great. I told them I would love to come to Bucharest and they liked the idea too. And here I am now with my music, which I brought directly from Brazil and Austria.

You're in the middle of rehearsals right now. How are they going?

The rehearsal stage is really good for me. I got to know the musicians. I have 18 people playing my music, which is a pleasure and an honour for me. And I notice that my music sounds different every time. The scores are the same, the notes are the same, but the musicians are different and in every part of the world they play differently. The Radio Big Band sounds very good, I feel that the instrumentalists enjoy the music, the solos and the scores. And it's nice to see my music come alive in Bucharest. It's my first time in Romania and it's very nice.

What can you say about your music for those who haven't heard it yet?

It's eclectic music. The poster says New Sounds of Brazil. I'm Brazilian, so I'm naturally influenced by Brazilian music, but there are also Argentinean influences, even some pop and funk. I'm relatively young, I was born in 1984, and I listened to all kinds of music at home with my family: Brazilian music, classical music, jazz. I think it's an advantage of the new generation: we're not prejudiced against styles.

The audience at the Sala Radio is invited to film one of your songs.Can you tell us more about this?

The song is called "Now". The idea came to me because people are always asked not to film at concerts, to turn off their phones. And often the audience is filming or taking pictures on the sly. And I said why not incorporate this contemporary custom into my concerts? I don't just invite the audience to film, but also the members of the orchestra. I don't want people to keep the footage to themselves, I want them to send it to me online, put it together and edit a concert video of the song and post it online. Imagine how great it will be, so many people, with so many phones, with so many perspectives, from the audience and the orchestra. I think it will be a really special experience.

Playing guitar and trombone, an unusual combination. How did you arrive at this?

It was a natural process. I used to be a guitar player and after several years I started doing orchestrations and writing music. And the trombone was a mystery to me. How does it work without a valve, how can you write for it? When I started playing this instrument I was already 23-24 years old. Initially it was just a hobby, but it became more and more serious and now I play the trombone for almost half of my life.

At the Radio Hall we'll be watching you on both instruments?

Yes, that's nice for me. It's the first time I've been invited to play with an orchestra and not conduct. You have an excellent conductor, Simona Strungaru, and it's a pleasure for me because I can play guitar and trombone and give it my all and relax.