Ademir Junior

Born in Brasília, Brazil, on June 22, 1976, Ademir Junior began his musical studies on the clarinet with his father. From the ages of 10 to 20, he participated in bands and orchestras, often as a young soloist due to his high technical performance. His main clarinet teacher was Luiz Gonzaga Carneiro, at the University of Brasília, where he studied as an extension student from ages 13 to 18. At 18, he decided to take up the tenor saxophone, blending classical technique with improvisation and harmony knowledge acquired from his master, Ian Guest. He stood out as a high-performance soloist in Brazilian instrumental music, always performing with the most nationally relevant artists such as Hermeto Pascoal, Arthur Maia, Mart’nália, João Bosco, Roberto Menescal, Rosa Passos, Alexandre Pires, João Donato, Ed Motta, and Hamilton de Holanda.

He also developed his pedagogical side, teaching improvisation courses across the country since 2000, as a master and an authority on the subject. He has collaborations from names like Chris Potter, John Patitucci, and Bob Mintzer in his compositions.

As an arranger, he developed more than 500 arrangements for various ensembles, including symphonic bands, big bands, and orchestras with diferente formations.

He has recorded nine albums as a composer and soloist: *Gratidão* (2002), *Vitória na Cruz* (2007), *Brasilidade* (2009), *Camaleão* (2012), *Camaleão II* (2015), *Camaleão III* (2018), *O Brasil do Saxofone* (2018), *Good Vibes* (2019), and *Brasília da Gente* (2024).

As a musician and entrepreneur, he founded the Orquestra JK in 2007, authored the book “Caminhos da Improvisação” published in 2018, and created the Escola de Solistas, a virtual music school, in 2019.

He is currently an artist for the following brands: Julius Keilwerth, Vandoren, Barkley, and Legere.

Functionally, he serves as the Director and founder of Escola de Solistas,Artistic Director of Orquestra JK, Conductor of the Military Band of Colégio Militar Dom Pedro II, and Captain Musician for the Fire Department of the Federal District.