Felipe Brito, D.M.A

Driven by a deep belief in the genuine connection music creates, Dr. Felipe Brito strives to share this powerful interaction with audiences and students of all ages and backgrounds.

Felipe Brito is the Assistant Professor of Trombone and Director of Jazz and Commercial Music at Southeast Missouri State University. He is also the Development Director at Amistad Caribbean Arts Camp in Cleveland, OH. He works regularly as an orchestral, jazz, commercial, studio, and solo musician in Cape Girardeau, St. Louis, Memphis, Nashville, Chicago, Austin, New York, New Jersey, São Paulo (Brazil), and Rio de Janeiro (Brazil).

As a solo artist, Felipe released his debut album, “Don’t Put Off Until Tomorrow,” in 2024 on the New York label Outside in Music. Felipe used a modern jazz language that incorporates Afro-Brazilian music genres, including samba, bossa nova, maracatu, and alujá. The album received reviews from NPR/KRCU, All About Jazz (New York), Missouri Business Alert, Jazz Weekly (Los Angeles), The Arts Fuse (Boston), and The Grateful Web (New York). Felipe has toured and performed his solo work at Blue Note São Paulo, Blue Note Rio, Radio MEC, Kauai Concert Association (Hawaii), the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the International Trombone Festival, the Brazilian Trombone Festival, Canada, and in Puerto Rico.

As an orchestral musician, Felipe performs with the New Jersey Symphony, the Irish Repertory Theatre Orchestra in New York City, and the Paducah Symphony in Kentucky. Felipe was the Principal Trombone with the Cleveland Opera Theater Orchestra under Domenico Boyagian for three seasons. He was also the Principal Trombone of the San Marcos Symphony in Texas. Felipe has also performed with the Canton Symphony Orchestra and the Erie Philharmonic and sub-listed with Memphis Symphony, Austin Symphony, Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Pops Orchestra, Firelands Symphony, Mansfield Symphony, Youngstown Symphony, and Akron Symphony.

As a commercial musician, Felipe performs in the Grammy Award-winning and 5 Tony Award-winning Buena Vista Social Club: The Musical, on Broadway in New York. He also performs with Jay-Z's music producer, Adrian Younge, as well as the Jazz St. Louis Big Band, the Silver Arrow Band in New York, and the Diamond Empire Band in St. Louis. He was the trombonist for the Brazilian Talk Show Hebe at RedeTV! and appeared in television commercials for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and McDonald's, as well as The View, Telemundo, the FIFA World Cup, and many others. He has shared the stage with singers and actors such as Lupita Nyong'o, José "Candelita" Iglesias, and many others. He has recorded over ten albums as a sideman in Brazil and the USA, covering several music genres.

A testament to his passion, skill, and versatility, Dr. Felipe Brito has collaborated with several national and international artists and bands, including Branford Marsalis, Bob Mintzer, Robin Eubanks, Raul de Souza, Joe Lovano, Andre Hayward, Chip McNeil, Jorge Santana, Bobby Sanabria, Nils Landgren, Eddie Montalvo, Bob DeBoo, Tito Rojas, Jiggs Whigham, Anthony McGill, Jackie Warren, Steven Mead, Jeff Hellmer, John Mills, Phil DeGreg, Michael Davis, Paul Deemer, Ernie Krivda, Kenny Davis, Jamey Haddad, Gabriel Santiago, Adriano Santos, Vinícius Dorin, Raphael Ferreira, Fabio Augustinis, João Lenhari, Daniel D’Alcântara, Rubinho Antunes, Rafael Piccolotto de Lima, Altair Martins, Paulo Braga, Zé da Velha, Silvério Pontes, Vittor Santos, Cleveland Jazz Heritage Orchestra, Uli Costa, Ieda Cruz, Quarteto de Cordas Vocais, and Sandália de Prata.

As an educator, he worked at Temple College, Texas A&M University-Central Texas, IDEA Montopolis College Prep, Austin Soundwaves, The Roberto Ocasio Latin Jazz Camp, Open Tone Music, Anglo Itu, ASSATEMEC, and Projeto Guri.

He holds degrees from The State University of Campinas (BM), Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music (PD and MM), the Cleveland Institute of Music (AD), and the University of Texas at Austin's Butler School of Music (DMA) and the University of Texas at Austin’s LBJ School of Public Affairs (Arts Administration). For more information, visit felipebritomusic.com.