Welcome to the Arcos Brasileiros website, where you’ll find information about the album, the artists, the story behind each music, the instruments(rabecas and violins), as well as access to the sheet music and playbacks.
Enjoy your visit!
⭐ This project was supported by Public Notice No. 23/2024/SMC/CFOC/SFA – 8th Edition of the Music Support Program for the City of São Paulo.
Photo credits: Carmen Fernandez
Cover illustrations: Bel Andrade Lima
A duo made up of French musician Vanille Goovaerts (violin, rabeca and voice) and Brazilian musician Ricardo Herz (violin and rabeca). On the album, the two perform a repertoire of original compositions (by both of them) based on Brazilian rhythms such as forró, xote, chamamé, choro, boi, and much more, alternating between violins and rabecas. It’s a vibrant dialogue, full of rhythm, improvisation and lyricism.
The duo has already completed two European tours and given workshops at festivals such as “Encordass” (Galicia, Spain – 2022).
Together, Ricardo and Vanille combine their knowledge and develop new sounds through their research, blending the technical rigor of classical music with Brazilian and African rhythms, along with the improvisational spirit of jazz.
Ricardo Herz – One of the most important names in popular violin in Brazil, Ricardo Herz is recognized for his innovative technique, bringing to the violin the nuances of the accordion, the growl of the rabeca, and the melodies of choro. Winner of the 2021 Prêmio Profissionais da Música in the categories “Instrumental Artist” and “Instrumental Music Composer,” Herz has a solid background that includes Universidade de São Paulo, Berklee College of Music, and the Centre des Musiques Didier Lockwood.
With 10 albums released, he has performed in duos with Yamandu Costa, Nelson Ayres, Antonio Loureiro, Samuca do Acordeon, among others, in addition to leading the Ricardo Herz Trio. In 2024, he released the album Sonhando o Brasil.
Herz is also a pioneer in teaching Brazilian popular violin, having launched the first online course on the subject in 2017.
Vanille Goovaerts – A French violinist trained in Jazz (Conservatoire de Chambéry, France), she fell in love with the rabeca and forró in 2018. She made two research trips to Northeast Brazil and to the São Paulo region, meeting masters such as Luiz Paixao, Claudio Rabeca and Aglaia Costa, as well as luthiers, and taking part in cultural traditions.
Based in São Paulo since 2019, she has a duo (violin and rabeca) with Ricardo Herz and a quartet with percussion (Ronco do Violino, rabeca forró). She has also been involved in several projects, playing rabeca with Xaxado Novo, Coletivo Forro das Minas and Chegae, and violin with Ensemble Choro Erudito, Fios de Choro, the all-female group Octeta, Ari Colares e a Canoa, among others.
Throughout her journey, Vanille seeks expression, connection, and the deep sense of sharing made possible through Brazilian popular music.