Rebecca Kleinmann is an acclaimed flutist, singer, and composer with a twenty year professional career marked by diversity and improvisation.  In the words of Latin Grammy Nominated pianist and composer, Jovino Santos Neto, “Rebecca plays flute with the passion of a flamenco dancer.” An explorer at heart, she rockets and flows between genres, one day leading The Rebecca Kleinmann Jazz Quartet with pianist Alex Conde, bassist Gary Brown, and drummer Marlon Aldana, the next day performing with a Brazilian Choro ensemble, and then later at night jamming in flamenco juergas.  Rebecca’s international career has taken her to perform on stages in Argentina, Brazil, Africa, Europe and Australia including Melbourne’s International Women in Jazz Festival, SESC in São Paulo, Birdland in New York City, the Blue Whale in Los Angeles as well as being featured at the SF Jazz Center, the San Jose Jazz Festival, Yoshi’s San Francisco and Oakland, Piedmont Piano, the Sound Room, the Oracle Arena and the Paramount Theatre closer to her Oakland home. She has performed and recorded with great musicians including Carlos Oliveira, Lionel Loueke, SK Kakraba, Rob Curto, Airto Moriera, Fabiano Nascimento, and Kina Mendez and worked with world-class dancers including Clara Rodriquez, Melissa Cruz, and Rosangela Silvestre.  She freelances, records on soundtracks and plays and sings with Dona Francisca Forró Band, La Dee Da Indie Band, NY based ensemble Heard Music, and the Taylor Anointed Praise Choir. In the words of master Jazz Pianist Benny Green, Kleinmann is masterful and selfless in her ability and inclination of melding her sound with her environment.”  With this in mind, she surely has immersed herself in rich musical environments!

Rebecca’s recent projects include her jazz quartet and a tour with virtuoso flamenco guitarist, Jason McGuire’s Trio, Kata-Vento Brazilian Sextet and collaborations with guitarists Fabiano do Nascimento, Ian Faquini and Dusty Brough.  For the last four years, Rebecca has been hosting a series “Brazil and Beyond” at Senegalese venue Bissap Baobab in San Francisco. One of her favorite current projects is Brasiliense, her duo with Brazilian guitarist Ian Faquini. Their alchemy together has been heralded as “the balance of deep preparation with the unaffected abandon to go wherever the moment leads.”

Growing up in Charlotte, North Carolina, Rebecca began improvising on flute in a Gospel Church while also playing in the city’s Youth Symphony. In 2000, she won the National Flute Association’s Jazz competition with the performance of an original composition. She studied with David Baker at the acclaimed Indiana University School of Music where she graduated with degrees in Jazz and Spanish then traveled extensively to immerse herself in the cultures of Flamenco, Tango and Brazilian Music. Rebecca produced her first album “Raio de Sol” in 2005 including co-written music with legendary musician Hermeto Pascoal, and performances by Grammy artists Airto Moreira and Jovino Santos Neto. In addition to being a performing and recording artist, Rebecca is a dedicated music teacher currently directing choirs with the Oakland Youth Chorus.

Julio Lemos is a professor of music at the Federal University of Goiás (UFG) and holds a bachelor’s and masters in guitar from UFG. He is now pursuing a doctorate at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro under Marcia Taborda and at San Francisco State University with Dr. John Calloway.

Julio Lemos has also performed and given workshops in Brazil and abroad, including concerts in South América, Europe, the United States and China.

Lemos is a member of the group Brasil in Trio which recorded their first album in 2014. In 2016 their first DVD was recorded with special guests Marco Pereira (guitar) and Gabriel Grossi (Harmonica).

In 2019, he launched his first solo album: “Julio Lemos – Brasil Acústico”, which consists of his own compositions and the second CD album from Brasil in Trio, with special guest Carlos Malta, Jarbas Cavendish, and Arismar do Espirito Santo, covering the compositions of Jarbas Cavendish.

He has also offered choro and samba workshops in Brazilian seven string guitar both abroad and in Brazil. Since 2017 he has been a judge at the official São Paulo carnaval parade in the category of Samba Enredo.