Chad Floyd, associate professor of music and director of
percussion studies at Campbellsville University in Kentucky, performed a tour
of South Korea as drummer for the Brazilian based group Almeida Duo in June of
2014. The members of the duo are Saulo DeAlmeida (cello, basses, piano) and
Dennis Santos (flutes, saxophone, piano). In addition to Floyd, the duo was accompanied
by Bill Budai (piano) and Wansoo Cho (violin).
The 11-day tour included 20 performances at universities, churches, high
schools, and city venues in and around Busan, South Korea. Performances
included the famed Busan Cultural Center, Busan City Park, Sae-Woo-Ri Concert
Hall, So-Min Arts Center, Shin-Se-Gae Concert Hall, Busan Medical City,
Christian Business Men's Committee, Space-UM Gallery, Busan Foreign Language
High School, Sam-Sung Girls' High School, Ever Green Seniors' School, Dong-Eun Presbyterian
Church, Suk-Po Presbyterian Church, Ae-Kwang Presbyterian Church, Dong-Nae
Central Presbyterian Church.
The group performed for diverse audiences and was also able to
provide feedback and instruction on student performances in various educational
settings. The repertoire of the group is quite diverse, but can be classified
broadly as jazz with strong influences of the popular Brazilian musical styles
such as samba and bossa nova.
