A 21st century musical fairy tale

Once upon a time, two musicians from Europe met in a New England winter, and discovered they had a common enchantment: both were under the spell of Brazilian music. Their meeting was a fateful one; a unique musical voice arose: the duo Elis & Catherine was born.

Elis & Catherine consists of Catherine Bent, a musician from London who now lives in the United States, and Elis Roseira, who was born in Germany and lived in Rio de Janeiro, Boston and Munich.

Catherine Bent has played her cello in jazz, classical, and contemporary music, and been inspired by the music of many cultures. She played electric cello for Cirque’s North American Tour of “Quidam” and remains on their artists’ roster. Catherine is on the faculty of Berklee College of Music and is an active freelance musician in Boston and New York City. She lives for several months of every year in Rio de Janeiro, in order to drink deeply from the source of choro, samba and bossa nova. In Brazil she performs with several bands and is frequently invited as a guest with others, including the Conjunto Época de Ouro’s legendary performances for Rádio Nacional. She also plays percussion in the band Forró Zabumbeca.

Catherine’s compositions can be described as “chamber jazz”, bringing the organic phrasing of European art music into the world of rhythmic groove. Her many teachers have included jazz pedagogue Charlie Banacos and modern choro master Maurício Carrilho.

In non-musical pursuits, Catherine prefers to be close to nature, whether on a bike, hiking in the mountains, scuba diving, or swimming in the ocean. She has cycled across Slovenia, Northern Italy, Utah, Alberta, England, and Wales, and gravitates to where the food is best.

Elis Roseira has played and sung jazz, Brazilian styles, and classical music. She is the leader of the multi-instrumental duo “Céu e Mar”.

Elis studied with Peter O’Mara, Freddie Bryant, Nando Michelin, Pat Pattison, Celia Malheiros, Maurício Carrilho and Bernardo Aguiar to hone her artistry on the guitar, her voice, arranging, composing, percussion and the flute.

When she is not composing or playing music, Elis loves to learn languages while enjoying a cup of green tea, cycle up and down the Isar river, and savor good food with friends.

In 2014 Elis & Catherine created arrangements, wrote music, played concerts and made a record. Recorded in Boston, Um Gosto de Sol (A Taste of the Sun), will be released in 2015. Their love of dialogue between the traditional and the modern is revealed in their choice of repertoire and their unconventional arranging. Elis & Catherine pay tribute to the great composers and lyricists of Brazil, with touches of North and South American folk music, European dance music and African rhythms, elegantly rendered on bowed, plucked and vocal strings.

Elis and Catherine are making their happily-ever-after come true, despite living in distant lands. Like the princes and princesses in the fairy tales their connection is inextinguishable. If you get your copy of Um Gosto de Sol and put it under your pillow at night, you can help Elis & Catherine reunite on a stage near you!