Season Three Kicks Off Sept. 21 with Rique Pantoja’s Music of Brazil
Rique Pantoja will bring his all-star Rio de Janeiro quintet to St. David’s to present a musical tour of his homeland, from bossa nova to samba to baio and chorro. Rique moved to Austin three years ago from Los Angeles, where he was in high demand as a performer, arranger, composer and educator.
Rique's journey began when he moved to Boston at 19 to study at the prestigious Berklee College of Music, then traveled to Paris to work with legendary American jazz trumpeter Chet Baker before returning to Brazil. He worked with Brazilian mega-stars Milton Nascimento, Gilberto Gil, Djavan, Gal Costa, and Chico Buarque. Other international artists he has collaborated with include Carlos Santana, Gloria Estefan, Ricky Martin, classical guitarist Christopher Parkening, Ernie Watts, Lee Ritenour, Airto and Flora Purim.
Rique will kick off the third season of World Music Encounters at St. David’s, the acclaimed international music series that takes place in our acoustically divine, 175-year-old, Gothic sanctuary.
We concluded Season Two last April with Soundscapes of Japan, a one-of-a-kind performance by two world-famous Japanese musicians. Keisuke Zenyoji, a master of the shakuhachi, the end-blown bamboo flute, was designated the next Living National Treasure of Japan—a huge honor. He traveled from Tokyo to Central Texas in what was his first trip to the United States. He performed with Sumie Kaneko, based in New York, on the koto and shamisen.
This is the third time Rique Pantoja will sit at the church’s Yamaha grand piano for our world music series. He backed up Brazilian guitarist Gabriel Santiago and Sumie Kaneko at the Japanese show.
Since its launch in September 2023, World Music Encounters has featured the music of foreign-born artists mainly living in the Austin area. Most of our artists have hailed from the southern hemisphere, such as West Africa, South America, Central America and Mexico. WME is a non-profit endeavor and a musical gift of St. David’s Episcopal Church to the community. It is produced by former NPR national correspondent and St Dave’s parishioner John Burnett, along with the hard-working church staff at St. David's Episcopal Church.
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