Thiago Trad: percussionist, drummer, composer, and music educator

Thiago is a visceral percussionist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and music educator with a solid academic foundation — holding a bachelor’s degree in percussion and a master’s in music education from the Federal University of Bahia. His artistic path and musical aesthetic place him within a global contemporary experimental scene rooted in Brazilian traditions — a hybrid, transnational space where rhythmic ancestry, improvisation, and technology intersect.

Moving seamlessly between orchestras, jazz trios, folk celebrations, and electronic explorations, Thiago has taken his music to stages in New York, Berlin, São Paulo, and Salvador. His journey is also shaped by collaborations with masters such as Letieres Leite, Céline Rudolph, Neil Leonard, Gabi Guedes, Paul Winter, and Rogério Boccato — encounters that continue to expand his musical universe.

In 2018, he released Moscote, his debut solo album — a work that echoes the inventive spirit of creators like Hermeto Pascoal, Villa-Lobos, Naná Vasconcelos, Airto Moreira, Sivuca, and Edu Lobo. It is a deep dive into piano, percussion, and imagination.

"I believe in music as a tool for social transformation."