Hi Everyone, I just joined the list. My name is Mariana, I'm 31, Brazilian (from Rio, but currently living elsewhere), and unfortunately not a musician. I spent my childhood in Boston, where my stepfather studied double bass at the New England Conservatory. So I grew up listening to classical music - mostly to him practicing up to 8 hours a day. I myself played the piano, guitar and double bass (which is by far my favorite instrument), but the never had the discipline to take it seriously. Needless to say, I'm a fan of Gary Karr's - his interpretation of Schubert's Arpeggione Sonata is simply the best I ever heard. I also have a special fondness for Bottesini, Dragonetti, Haydn's Trumpet Concerto and all things Bach. Some of you are probably familiar with Brazilian composer Villa-Lobos, but I was wondering if any of you piano fans have heard of Ernesto Nazareth. If not, I would recommend a cd recorded by Arthur Moreira Lima (excellent Brazilian pianist), which you can get at Amazon. Nazareth is sometimes heavily influenced by Chopin, but most of the time he's very original - you can hear the typical Brazilian flavor that later gave birth to samba, etc. cheers to you all, Mariana.