BIO

Luciano Xavier is a master percussionist that has studied music for over 30 years.

Luciano Xavier was born in Salvador, Bahia and began drumming inside of Candomble houses as a child. Xavier was a percussion student of Ilê Aiyê and entered the Axé Project (Projeto Axé) where he became a musician. He studied with Dailha Mendes, Dandha da Hora, Marivaldo, Mario Bomba and Givaldo Pereira. Later, Xavier participated in Gicá, a dance company of Projeto Axé. It was there that he started training with the late, Augusto Omolu.

Luciano Xavier has performed with the world-renowned Bale Folklorico da Bahia as a company member. His collaborative work also includes Orchestra Afro Bahiana do Pelourinho, Sobe A Regencia da Mestra Emilia Biancard, and Odin Teatro com espetaculo Oro de Othello (directed by Eugenio Barba). He has presented lectures and performances as a Master Drummer for Afro-Brazilian cultural presentations at Swarthmore College, Mount Holyoke College and Bryn Mawr College. Xavier has performed and taught in Argentina, Venezuela, Portugal, Italy, Denmark, and throughout the United States. He has worked with some of the most distinguished master teachers of our time including Mestre King, Rosangela Silvestre, Nildinha Fonseca, Elisio Pita, Jailson Purificação, and Paco Gomes.