Carlos Henrique Pereira

Carlos Henrique Pereira is an accomplished composer, piano and acoustic guitar player from one of the most influential and dynamic musical regions of South America, the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil.

An instrumentalist trained in both classical and jazz traditions, Carlos ventured into composition early in his life and, without any formal training, was named the youngest composer to have a work selected for the Brazilian Contemporary Music Biennial in Rio de Janeiro, where his music was played alongside some of the greatest Brazilian modern composers.

Carlos debuted his first L.P. in his early twenties, and the album’s eight original compositions drew the attention of the British label, Timeless Records, which released the album throughout Europe and Japan.

Following the success of his first album, Carlos moved to the United States, where he studied jazz harmony and improvisation in New York City. He performed throughout New York in venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Knitting Factory, Merkin Hall, and Satalla. Launching his own recording studio in Brooklyn, Carlos also established himself as a music producer and worked on more than 200 projects with artists from around the world like Nana Vasconcelos, Milton Nascimento, Toninho Horta, Dom Salvador, Cyro Baptista, Peck Allmond, Matt Darriau, Rubin Kodheli, Ernesto Villalobos, Sue Maskaleris, just to name a few.

In 2003, Carlos released “Água e Terra,” his second complete album of all original music. It was during these years that he also wrote and recorded a large catalog of music that was heard on American and Brazilian television and radio and has been used in numerous films and dance company performances.

In 2005, he felt the call of home and returned to his hometown in Brazil, where he continued composing and performing his original compositions.

In 2009, Carlos was awarded a grant to compose his third album, “Minas, Gerais,” which was released in 2011. Titled and dedicated to his home state, the album received high praise from critics and fans alike and was nominated for the 24th Brazilian Music Awards.

Carlos and his young family now call the wine country of Northern California home. He performs regularly throughout the area. He has played at the Healdsburg Jazz Festival, the Brazilian Music Festival Brasilfest in New York City, and the Blue Note in Napa. He is one of the awardees of the musical program of SFFCM, San Francisco Friends of Chamber Music.

Drawing inspiration from his new landscape, Carlos has worked with Bay Area musicians to shape his latest album, “There and Here,” which he calls a love letter both to his new surroundings and to his home in Brazil.

Carlos was the recipient of the Next Level Grant by Creative Sonoma to help with the production of a new album of original compositions featuring himself on guitar and piano, Mads Tolling on violin, Rubin Kodheli on cello, Itaiguara Brandão on bass, and Mauricio Zottarelli on drums. This album is coming out in 2026.