The group emerged from the joining of four important instrumentalists, specialized in Choro: Zé Barbeiro (7-string guitar), Alessandro Penezzi (solo guitar), Rodrigo Y Castro (flute) and Roberta Valente (pandeiro).
Together, they executed a repertory embracing either choro traditional compositions as own compositions.
For many times, the group has already made presentations in different units of Sesc: Vila Mariana, Santo André, Belenzinho, Pompéia, Consolação, besides São Paulo’s interior and coastal, as Sesc Bauru, Sesc Catanduva, Sec Bertioga, etc. Further, the group made presentations in some culture houses, as Londrina (PR), São José do Rio Preto (SP) and Bertioga (SP).
It took part of various municipal events of other cities of São Paulo, like: Caraguatatuba Summer Festival, Botucatu Winter Festival, etc. Every Tuesdays, Choro Rasgado makes shows at the bar Ó do Borogodó, where the group was formed.
It participated in various festivals, being in the second rank during the Choro Festival of Curitiba and in the third rank during the Nabor Pires Camargo Festival in Indaiatuba, occupying the first rank during the Avaré Festival.
In October 2004, Choro Rasgado made three presentations at Clube do Choro - Brasília.
In this same period, the group recorded its first CD with the participation of musicians like Toninho Ferraguti, Caito Marcondes, Laércio de Freitas, Arismar do Espírito Santo, Milton de Mori, among others, interpreting own musics.

Rodrigo Y Castro (flute)
DSince he started his musical studies, he varied between the popular and the classical music. With 8 years old, he started studying soft flute and later, at the age of 13, transversal flute, an instrument received as a gift from his father, also a musician. Soon after, he had classes with Odette Ernest Dias, which introduced him to the true art of playing flute.
He took part of festivals and workshops in the main cities of the State of Paraná, playing parallel in bars of Curitiba's night, where he studied improvisation.
He had flute classes with Mathias Allin, Thomas Robertello, Celso Woltzenloguel Hernan Jará, Rogério Wolf, Toninho Carrasqueira and others.
In 1991, he was awarded as the best instrumentalist of the festival Assim Canta a Fronteira, in Missal (Paraná).
He is bachelor in music by Universidade de São Paulo.
He was awarded with the 7° Nascente in the popular music category and received honors in the classical music category in the year 1998. In this same year, he was the finalist of Prêmio Visa de MPB with the pianist Fábio Torres, making possible the recording of its first CD by Eldorado label.
He integrated the OCAM (Orchestra da Câmara da USP) for two years as soloist; in Orchestra Experimental de Repertório he took part of three operas; he accompanied the trumpet player Arturo Sandoval and played in the Symphony Orchestra of Santos for six years as soloist and accompanied Edson Cordeiro, Toquinho and Leila Pinheiro.
He participated in the cast of Clarão nas Estrelas at Sesi Theater as musician and in the artistic intervention at Sesc Santo André in Brindaceiras de Papel, directed by Paolli Quito.
He made presentations in the project Chorando Alto at Sesc Pompéia in 1998 with Hamilton de Holanda, João Paraíba, Sizão Machado and Fábio Torres.
In 2002, he participated in the project Espelhos do Som, playing with Toninho Carrasqueira and Egberto Gismonti.
He participated in the recording of the last disc of Izaias e seus chorões, Germano Mathias, Kátia Teixeira and Dona Inah, as well as tens of other singers. [photo Fernando]

Roberta Valente (pandeiro)
DSince she was a child, she was in contact with the music taking part of chorales, school bands and study groups on the Brazilian music. She studied guitar, small guitar (cavaquinho) and percussion. She acts as tambourine player in various choro groups as Bola Preta, Choro Rasgado, Chorando as Pitangas, Trio Mandando Bala, etc., being considered an expert in this kind of music.
She is graduated in Languages by PUC (São Paulo) and participated in the elaboration of book Antologia Musical Popular Brasileira – As Marchinhas de Carnaval, as researcher and editor and, as percussionist, she integrated the Bando da Rua of the series of shows Cantando e Contando, a project having as purpose the life and work divulgation of important names of our music, as: Geraldo Pereira, Ismael Silva, Noel Rosa, Carmen Miranda, etc.
Her name is mentioned in books, CD’s, newspaper articles and Internet texts as important research reference on the Brazilian music (for example, the book Almanaque do Choro of André Diniz, Ed Jorge Zanar or the CD Show of the singer Ná Ozzetti - Som Livre).
Roberta made presentations with important names like: Beth Carvalho, Luiz Nassif, Renato Braz, Izaias do Bandolim, Orquestra Jovem Sinfônica, Raul de Barros, Wilson das Neves, D. Ivone Lara, Maurício Carrilho and Pedro Amorim, Toninho Ferragutti, Délcio Carvalho, Carlos Poyares, Wilson Moreira, Renato Braz, Eliana Faria, Moacyr Luz, Carmen Queiroz, Luiz Carlos da Vila, Família Nogueira (Gisa, Diogo and Didu Nogueira), Velha Guarda da Camisa Verde e Branca, Luisinho 7 Cordas e Euclides Marques, S. Jair do Cavaquinho, Celso Viáfora, Nelson Sargento, Monarco, Nei Lopes, Walter Alfaiate, Zé Luiz Mazziotti, Marcos Sacramento, etc.
She participated in the recording of various discs with Izaías do Bandolim, Rômulo Fróes, Carmen Queiroz, Dudah Lopes, Quinteto Madeira de Vento (all of them from Umes label), Bando da Rua, Clóvis Maciel, Adriano Andrade, etc. [photo Gal Opido]

Zé Barbeiro (7-string guitar)
Traditional 7-string instrumentalist of São Paulo's Choro, autodidact, Zé Barreiro started playing guitar at Jovem Guarda. In 1972, he started dedicating his activities to the samba and choro. Nowadays, he integrates various group, among which Grupo Nosso Choro and Aleh FerreiraRegional.
He made the accompaniment for important names of the Brazilian music as: Silvio Caldas, Armandinho, Inezita Barroso, Ângela Maria, Ataufo Alves Júnior, Jamelão, Nei Lopes, Zeca Pagodinho, Almir Guineto, Carlos Poyares, Elizeth Cardoso and Altamiro Carrilho.
He made presentations with Banda Bananeira in the Vienna Jazz Festival, France, in 1998.
In 2002, he participated in the 15a Feira Mundial do Livro in Guadalajara, Mexico, with the mandolin player Aleh Ferreira.
He recorded various CD’s with: Grupo Nosso Choro, the pianist Rosária Gatti, Paulo Vanzolini, Luís Nassif, Dona Inah, and others.
As a composer, he took part of various festivals like: Festival de Choro de Curitiba (April 2004), getting the 2nd rank.
He was awarded as The Best Instrumentalist and The Best Instrumental Music in the Fampop de Avaré (September 2004) and was classified in the Festival Musicanto of 2004 in Santa Rosa – RS.
He participated in the Prêmio Visa – 2004 accompanying the mandolin player Danilo Brito, who got the first rank.
In 2005, he toured France and Morocco with D. Inah and took part of the project Violões do Brasil with Alessandro Penezzi.
He is heir of the Brazilian musician tradition from the beginning of last century and because of that he is included as one of the best 7-string instrumentalists of Brazil.

Alessandro Penezzi (solo guitar)
Natural from Piracicaba, State of São Paulo, he is violinist, composer and arranger. He studies music since the age of 7. He plays 7-string guitar as well, tenor guitar, small guitar (cavaquinho), mandolin and transversal flute.
He studied with the following teachers: Carlos Coimbra (Piracicaba), Jair T. de Paula (Tatuí), Sérgio Belluco (Piracicaba), João Dias Carrasqueira (São Paulo), Marcos Cavalcanti and Ulisses Rocha (Unicamp). He graduated in classical guitar in 1997 by Escola de Música de Piracicaba and has just concluded the graduation in popular music by Unicamp.
He forms the Trio Quintessência with the mandolin player Aleh Ferreira and the cello player Júlio Ortiz, touring Russia, United States and Angola.
He made presentations with important instrumentalists like: Yamandú Costa, Carlos Poyares, Toninho Ferragutti, Oswaldinho do Acordeon, Laércio de Freitas, Caito Marcondes, Arismar do Espírito Santo, Maurício Carrilho, Pedro Amorin, Joel Nascimento, Conjunto Época de Ouro, Rogério Caetano and Caio Márcio.
In addition, he made presentations with two important orchestras of the country: Jazz Symphony Orchestra and Philharmonic Orchestra of São Bernardo do Campo.
He accompanied important names of the Brazilian popular music, as: Beth Carvalho, Silvio Caldas, Noite Ilustrada, Billy Blanco, D. Yvone Lara, Monarco, Nelson Sargento, Nei Lopes, Délcio Carvalho, Xangô da Mangueira, Riachão, Wilson das Neves, Francisco Petrônio, Wilson Moreira, Celso Viáfora and Marília Medalha.
He launched his first solo CD Abismo de Rosas in 2001. In the same year, he was semi-finalist of the 4° Prêmio Visa MPB (Instrumental Edition) with Trio Quintessência, which launched the CD A quintessência da música in 2002. He toured Italy in 2003 as soloist.
He was in the 3rd rank during the III Prêmio Nabor Pires de Cmargo (2004). He was one of the 12 semi-finalists of the 7° Prêmio Visa de Música Brasileira, instrumental edition, 2004.
In 2005, with the violinist Zé Barbeiro, he took part of the 2nd edition of Projeto Violões do Brasil, joining names as: Duo Assada, Guinga, Paulo Bellinati, Marco Pereira, among others. Further in 2005, Alessandro prepares his 2nd CD as soloist..