Musician Composer Educator
Mark Tonelli
Brasiliana: A Live Performance +
Film Experience
A concert, immersive film, and conversation exploring music, culture, and artistic process—through a project shaped over years in Brazil.
This is not just a concert. It’s a complete artistic experience designed for both audiences and students.
Launch concert for the album Brasiliana
Excerpt from screening of Brasiliana - The Film at the album release concert.
What The Event Is
This program brings together live music, film, and conversation in a single event. The music at the center of the program— Brasiliana — became the subject of a 50-minute film by Brazilian filmmaker Thiago S. Barbosa. The film explores the story behind the album and the experiences that shaped it, with selected scenes woven into the event.
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Live performance of music from Brasiliana
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Screening of selected scenes from Brasiliana - The Film
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Audience Q&A exploring the creative process and cultural context
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Optional collaboration with students or faculty
The result is an event that works equally well as a concert experience, an educational program, and a cross-disciplinary arts event.
Flexible Presentation Format
Brasiliana fits comfortably within a standard guest artist format and can be shaped to complement what your program is already doing.
In most cases, it is presented as a performance with a clinic or workshop, or as a short residency, depending on what best serves your needs.
The film component and discussion are flexible additions. They can be incorporated in short segments within the performance or workshop and have been a strong point of engagement for students and audiences alike.
Video
Going to Brazil for the first time from Brasiliana - The Film
"Bloco 3M" studio session from the album Brasiliana
More than just a guest artist visit
Most guest artist events offer a performance or a clinic. This program integrates composition, performance, cultural immersion, and film in a way that gives students a practical understanding of how an artistic project evolves from initial idea into something real, while also highlighting the role of international travel and cross-cultural experience in shaping a creative life.
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São Paulo
Workshops & Guest Lectures
Designing Brasiliana
An on-the-ground look at composition, concept development, marketing, distribution, and release of a long-term artistic project
Brazilian Music & Cultural Immersion
Insights from multiple residencies in Brazil, including Fulbright experiences
Building a Career in the Arts
Practical, experience-based strategies for sustaining a creative life
All sessions can be adapted for music students, arts programs, and interdisciplinary audiences.
From Brazilian Music & Cultural Immersion lecture
About the project
Brasiliana is the result of years of work in Brazil, combining modern jazz with Brazilian musical traditions.
The project reflects direct cultural immersion, long-term artistic development, and collaboration with Brazilian musicians.
Brasiliana - The Film expands this further, offering a behind-the-scenes look at how the music—and the project itself—came to life.
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São Paulo
Media for Brasiliana
Brasiliana has been featured in international media and heard on radio across the U.S. and internationally.
Interviews
Exposition: An Arts + Culture Podcast with Mary Collier Mims
KRCU Public Radio
Interview discussing the origins of Brasiliana,
Brazilian influences, and the film.
V13 Interview:
Mark Tonelli Discusses His Life, Background & New Record ‘Brasiliana’
A Q&A on the inspiration and
journey behind Brasiliana
Selected reviews
“...an all-star band...who seem equally comfortable with samba or straightahead jazz.”
Bob Weinberg, JAZZIZ
“Tonelli… distills his long-term immersion in Brazilian culture into a personal language—excellent jazz inspired by Brazil rather than cliché… full of refinement and intelligence.”
Frédéric Cardin, Pan M 360
"An intensely personal album, the tunes tell the story of Tonelli’s quest to get under the skin of Brazilian culture...Doi Mas É Bom, a gorgeous, expressive bossa nova that perfectly shows off Tonelli’s guitar."
Hilary Seabrook, Harmonious World
“Tonelli and the group explore his deep connections to Brazil... Tonelli shines throughout. Nimble lines highlight impressive technique while memorable melodies showcase compositional talents.”
David Reed, Belleville Intelligencer
About Mark Tonelli
Mark Tonelli is a guitarist, composer, and coordinator of guitar studies at Millikin University.
A two-time Fulbright Scholar to Brazil, his work focuses on the intersection of jazz, Brazilian music, and long-form artistic projects developed through cultural immersion.
He has performed internationally and brings over twenty-five years of professional experience to both the stage and the classroom.
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Mark Tonelli
Performing in Goiânia
Masterclass in Recife
Audience Response
"Some musicians play music. Mark Tonelli lives it... At Scout Hall's intimate album launch, that immersion filled the room. Fluent across Brazil's musical dialects, Tonelli played with the ease of a man who had walked those streets and heard those songs where they were born... A gifted raconteur, Tonelli wove Brazil's cultural stories into each piece, carrying the audience somewhere real and deeply felt. Brasiliana is a love letter to a country — and a must-see, must-hear performance."
Gary Rust, owner, Scout Hall, Cape Girardeau, Missouri
“Your presentation in Jazz Studies Seminar was outstanding. You’re extremely articulate, informative, and thorough... you gave our students a sense of what is possible regarding their academic and performance careers... it was evident that the presentation resonated with them because of all the questions afterwards and also, discussions the next week... Exactly what we want!”
Dr. Matt Pivec, professor of music, Butler University, Indianapolis, Indiana
"What I found especially interesting was how practical and entrepreneurial his talk was. He walked us through the whole process of creating his album, Brasiliana, from funding to the album cover, and I think that kind of perspective could be really valuable for artists on campus who are trying to build a sustainable creative career."
Eber Seco, student (SCALE conference)
Bring This Program To Your Campus or Venue
This program is designed to be flexible and easy to present.
Programs can be adapted for different venues and formats, from intimate performances to full multi-component presentations.
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Performance
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Film screening and discussion
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Workshops or short residency
To inquire or schedule:
mtonelli@millikin.edu
A performance and film experience exploring Brazilian music, culture, and artistic process
