Badi Assad
Badi Assad (born Mariangela Assad Simão, 23 December 1966, São João da Boa Vista, Brazil) is one of the most distinctive voices in Brazilian music. A classical guitarist, singer, songwriter and composer, she blends classical technique with Brazilian popular music, jazz, and extended solo performance techniques. She is the sister of the celebrated Duo Assad — Sérgio and Odair Assad — and has performed at major venues including the Opéra de Paris, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the North Sea Jazz Festival.
Background
Assad grew up in a musical household: her father Jorge Assad, of Lebanese descent, played bandolim; her mother Angelina was a singer. She began guitar at the age of 14, initially taught by her father and brothers, and went on to study at the Conservatory and University of Rio de Janeiro, playing in the Guitar Orchestra under conductor Turibio Santos.
In 1984 she won the Concurso Jovens Instrumentistas in Rio de Janeiro, and in 1987 was named Best Brazilian Guitarist at the International Villa-Lobos Festival. Guitar Player magazine named her among ten guitarists set to redefine the instrument in the 1990s; her album Rhythms (Chesky Records, 1995) won Best Classical Album of the Year in the Guitar Player readers’ poll of 1996.
Around 1998 she was diagnosed with focal dystonia — a neurological condition that halted her guitar performance for several years. After two years of rehabilitation she made a full recovery, then signed to Deutsche Grammophon in 2004, recording Verde and the internationally acclaimed Wonderland (2006), selected by BBC London as one of the 100 best CDs of the year. She has collaborated with Bobby McFerrin, Pat Metheny, Yo-Yo Ma, and Milton Nascimento. In 2018 the documentary film BADI won Best Documentary at the Latin American and Brazilian Film Festival. Her most recent album, Bentu (with Sérgio Pererê, October 2024), continues her exploration of Brazilian and world music.
Performance at Siccas Guitars
In May 2026 Badi Assad gave an online concert at the Siccas Guitars Studio in Karlsruhe, presenting original compositions alongside arrangements of South American music, performed on a Siccas Luthiers “Creation” Triptych classical guitar.
Discography (selected)
- Rhythms (Chesky Records, 1995)
- Chameleon (PolyGram, 1998)
- Three Guitars with Larry Coryell and John Abercrombie (Chesky, 2003)
- Verde (Deutsche Grammophon, 2004)
- Wonderland (Deutsche Grammophon, 2006)
- Bentu with Sérgio Pererê (2024)
See more classical guitarists in our Great Classical Guitarists overview.
