Felipe Guz Tinoco

I am a performer and composer of instrumental music, with roots in experimental genres that explore connections between music and nature. I grew up in the Northeast of Brazil, by the ocean, tropical forest, and mangrove, playing regional styles like baião with my family, surrounded by a rich ecosystem. Once a young adult, I immigrated to the U.S., but the sounds of home remained with me.

My undergraduate degree is in jazz composition and performance from Berklee, and my first portfolio spoke to my background and bore witness to my life as an immigrant, now as a Latino in the U.S., a category I never identified with, but became my ethnicity abroad. While making sense of my position in the U.S., I found nature to be a creative force.

My music comprises snapshots of moments in nature that showcase the landscape where I came to be me. Despite borders and immigration, I transcribed Robin songs or observed the rhythms of Chanterelles wobbling against the wind. As I built a relationship with nature through my music, I developed a healthier connection to the place I live and found new meaning in the process.