Plínio Fernandes

Plínio Fernandes is a rising figure in the guitar world, adept in both classical and Brazilian vernacular traditions. He was signed to the Decca label, where he released his sophomore album, Bacheando, in 2023.
Fernandes was born on July 22, 1994, in Itanhaém in Brazil’s São Paulo state. There were multiple musicians in his family, and he received guitar lessons from his father. He loved the music of Bach from childhood. After winning several Brazilian youth guitar competitions, he appeared as a soloist at age 12 with the Campo Grande Symphony Orchestra, playing a Vivaldi guitar concerto. Fernandes went on for lessons in São Paulo from Henrique Pinto and from Pinto’s student Fábio Zanon. By 2011, Fernandes was a full-fledged touring artist, giving recitals and performing with chamber groups in 35 cities around Brazil and Chile. He attended the International Campos do Jordao Winter Festival annually on a scholarship from 2011 to 2014, soaking up new guitar styles, and in 2014, he landed a Brazilian government scholarship that enabled him to attend the Royal Academy of Music in London. There, he studied with Michael Lewin, Steve Goss, and David Russell.
Fernandes has appeared on streaming services, at the Two Moors Festival in South West England, and at London’s Garrick Club. He has performed on television in France, Britain (on the BBC One program Imagine), and Brazil (on the Jornal Hoje program on the Globo network). He is often joined by cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, with whom he has performed as a duo. Fernandes was signed to Decca and released his debut album, Saudade, in 2022; the album featured a mix of classical, jazz, popular, and folk material by such composers as Heitor Villa-Lobos, Antônio Carlos Jobim, Milton Nascimento, and Violeta Parra. He returned the following year with Bacheando, featuring the legacy of J.S. Bach in Brazilian music. ~ James Manheim