Cristiano Alves is a Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

ian clarinetist.

Alves was born in Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...

 and was taught by José Carlos Castro. He holds a Master's degree

Master's degree

A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...

 from the School of Music at Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (UFRG). He is first clarinet of the Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira and the Petrobrás Sinfônica, and teaches clarinet at UFRJ. He also performs at masterclasses in Mostra Internacional de Música em Olinda, a music festival in Olinda

Olinda

Olinda is a historic city in the Brazilian state of Pernambuco, located on the country's northeastern Atlantic Ocean coast, just north of Recife and south of Paulista...

, and at the famous Festival de Campos do Jordão, the most important Classical Music Festival in South America.