All children need a purchased ticket for entry. Parents receive complimentary entry with RSVP.

Get ready to dance the samba, play the agogo, and sing Jobim songs as we take a musical journey to Brazil. This first monthly Timbalooloo concert of 2024 takes place a few days before Carnaval starts, so we will get the party started early. Clarinetist and Timbalooloo founder Oran Etkin invites Brazilian master percussionist Vinicius Barros from São Paulo and Brazilian accordionist and pianist Vitor Gonçalves to join him. Vinicius is the lead percussionist for the Orquestra Jazz Sinfônica de São Paulo and has worked with artists ranging from Richard Bona to Deep Purple. He is a revered expert in the various musical traditions of Brazil, but he also brings an infectious child-like enthusiasm and curiosity to the music every time he picks up an instrument. Born in Rio de Janeiro, Vitor has played with legendary artists from Hermeto Pascoal to Maria Bethânia and combines a deep knowledge of the tradition with creativity and spontaneity!

In Timbalooloo, instruments come to life and speak through their music, so that children learn to conceive of music as a dialogue amongst instruments and feel empowered to express themselves by making their instruments talk. This monthly interactive series is hosted by Timbalooloo founder Oran Etkin and his friend Clara Net (his clarinet).  Each month, Etkin invites a different guest artist and Clara Net meets a new musical friend from another place in the world.  Together with the children, they explore a new culture and its music and dance.  The concerts are very interactive, with children singing along, drumming on the floor, dancing and engaging in stories about composers and cultures from around the world.  Harvey Keitel (who enrolled his son in Timbalooloo classes for several years) summed it up nicely saying "Our son was talking about Herbie Hancock, Mozart, Samba and African Music – and he knew the difference!"

‍About Oran Etkin

Oran Etkin uses his art to build connections that often transcend generational and cultural boundaries, promoting the values of listening and creation in a world that often suffers from dehumanization and destruction. His new album, Open Arms, features several collaborations that he recorded around the world in Zimbabwe, Czech Republic, Turkey, Brazil, Canada and US. French newspaper Libération chose his Paris concert as one of the top 6 musical events of the year, calling it "A concert of weightlessness, class, spark, inspiration, and sharing. Magic uninterrupted… for such is the music of Etkin: sensitive to the exchange with the audience.” He has been described as “Ebullient” by the New York Times, voted #1 rising star clarinetist by DownBeat Magazine Critics Poll, and is featured on numerous recordings, including a Grammy Award-winning album. Etkin created an early-childhood music method called Timbalooloo, in which instruments come alive and speak through their music, inspiring children to express themselves by making their instruments come alive and speak the language of music. Timbalooloo has reached over 10,000 children in New York City through its music classes, and they have partnered with Mannes Prep at The New School, Herbie Hancock Institute, UNESCO, North Sea Jazz and other organizations to bring Timbalooloo classes and concerts to audiences worldwide.