Young Brazilian Violinist Breaks Musical Boundaries
A rap-battling street violinist in Sao Paulo, Brazil, is shaking up the local hip hop scene. Twenty-three-year-old Maria Luiza has started to make a name for herself by mixing different genres to create a fresh new sound.
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00:00This 23-year-old violinist is shaking up São Paulo's hip-hop scene.
00:09Almost every night on the outskirts of the city, local musicians meet for ciphers, gatherings
00:14of up-and-coming rappers where they exchange rapid-fire wordplay.
00:17Maria Luisa has begun to make a name for herself with her out-of-the-box music talent.
00:23She says she never imagined finding an outlet to play the violin in her low-income neighborhood,
00:28known in Brazil as a favela.
00:52Now she's found a space where she can experiment, mixing genres like hip-hop, classical, pop
00:57and Brazilian funk.
00:58Other musicians in the local hip-hop scene have welcomed her fresh sound.
01:12During her years of orchestra training, Maria Luisa felt that what she was learning did
01:16not apply to her lived experience.
01:19Now she is hoping to use her skills to contribute to the musical cultures of Brazil's marginalized
01:24communities.
01:27I don't need a Brazilian violinist from the outskirts of Brazil to play in a European
01:34way.
01:35I don't need it.
01:36Where is it written?
01:37Like, where?
01:39I can play the violin very well because I studied for it.
01:42Like, I studied as many hours as another orchestra violinist.
01:48I studied for it.
01:49So I can use it for my culture, for the problems that I deal with, for the scenario
01:56that I live in, you know?
01:57For Maria Luisa, using her orchestra training to make music for her community has given
02:03her a sense of belonging.
02:05Her first performances were on her hour-long subway rides to and from work, playing covers
02:09of popular pop and hip-hop songs for fellow commuters.
02:26Maria Luisa says she's part of a long tradition of disadvantaged people creating their own
02:39opportunities to express themselves through art.
02:43Now a part of the city's rap scene, she is reimagining what can be done with orchestra
02:47training.
02:48Instead of dreaming for a seat at the table somewhere outside of her neighborhood, Maria
02:52Luisa is hoping to create her own.
02:55Scott Huang and Wesley Lewis for Taiwan Plus.