Alessandro Penezzi is one of the leading figures in choro and Brazilian instrumental music. A guitarist, composer, arranger, multi-instrumentalist, researcher, and educator, he has built a career spanning more than three decades, distinguished by artistic excellence, musical research, and a strong commitment to educating new generations of musicians.

Born in Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil, Penezzi holds a Master’s degree in Music from the Professional Master’s Program at the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), a Bachelor’s degree in Popular Music from the University of Campinas (Unicamp), and a degree in classical guitar from the Piracicaba School of Music.

His career extends far beyond Brazil. Penezzi has performed in countries including the United States, Russia, Japan, Italy, Germany, Portugal, Angola, Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, Belgium, the Netherlands, Morocco, Denmark, Gabon, Kosovo, and North Macedonia, among others, establishing a strong presence on both the Brazilian and international music scenes.

Throughout his career, he has performed and recorded with prominent Brazilian and international artists, including Beth Carvalho, Dona Ivone Lara, Hermeto Pascoal, Hamilton de Holanda, Yamandú Costa, Dominguinhos, Nailor Proveta, Laércio de Freitas, Alexandre Ribeiro, Danilo Brito, Roberta Valente, Zé Barbeiros, Fábio Peron, Zimbo Trio, Alaíde Costa, Mike Marshall, Brian Rice, and Jane Lenoir, among others. He has also taken part in projects featuring a wide range of instrumental and orchestral ensembles, including the São Paulo Jazz Symphony Orchestra (Jazz Sinfônica de São Paulo).

His discography includes solo recordings as well as collaborations with renowned instrumentalists. His albums include Abismo de Rosas, Alessandro Penezzi, Sentindo, Cordas ao Vento, with Alexandre Ribeiro, Dança das Cordas, Velha Amizade, with Nailor Proveta, Quebranto, with Yamandú Costa, Alessandro Penezzi & Fábio Peron, Regional de um Homem Só, Sonhos, and Mike Marshall & Alessandro Penezzi – Mandolin and Guitar.

His work has also received recognition through major Brazilian music awards, including the Visa Award for Brazilian Instrumental Music, the Tim Brazilian Music Award, and the Brazilian Music Award (Prêmio da Música Brasileira). For Quebranto, his collaboration with Yamandú Costa, he received awards for Best Instrumental Album and Best Soloist. In 2026, he was nominated for the Prêmio da Música Brasileira in the categories of Best Instrumental Artist and Best Instrumental Release for the album Sonhos.

As a composer and author, Penezzi has published the books Diário do Choro and Sonhos, which bring together original compositions and document a significant part of his musical output. He is also the founder and organizer of the Penezzi Choro Camp, an initiative dedicated to music education, ensemble playing, exchange among musicians, and the promotion and dissemination of choro.

Across concert stages, recording studios, classrooms, and educational projects, Alessandro Penezzi brings together performance, composition, research, artistic production, and teaching. His career contributes not only to preserving the tradition of choro, but also to renewing it and expanding its possibilities within Brazilian instrumental music.