Rate My Professor Cassio Vianna

Cassio Vianna serves as Associate Professor of Music and Director of Jazz Studies at Pacific Lutheran University, where he conducts the University Jazz Ensemble, teaches jazz classes, and contributes to the Music faculty's programs in jazz studies. Born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Vianna began his musical journey at age eight playing organ in a Presbyterian church and studying classical piano. He developed his skills as a composer and performer of Brazilian popular music during his teenage years, studying under Hungarian-Brazilian teacher Ian Guest from 1993 to 1995. From 1996 to 2009, he was active in Rio's vibrant music scene, recording and performing, including co-leading the Brazilian jazz group Dialeto Brasileiro. In 2009, Vianna moved to the United States to advance his studies, earning a Bachelor of Music from Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (Uni-Rio, 2003), a Master of Music from Western Oregon University (2011), and a Doctor of Arts in Jazz Studies from the University of Northern Colorado, where he studied with David Caffey.

Prior to his appointment at Pacific Lutheran University in 2019, Vianna held faculty positions at Western Oregon University, Umpqua Community College, and the University of Northern Colorado, as well as teaching at music academies in Rio de Janeiro from 2004 to 2008. As a pianist, composer, arranger, producer, and educator, his works reflect diverse musical and cultural influences, particularly blending jazz with Brazilian elements. His arrangements have been performed by artists such as Eric Marienthal, Wayne Bergeron, Chris Potter, Ernie Watts, Martha Reeves, Tony Kadleck, Greg Gisbert, and ensembles including the United States Army Field Band Jazz Ambassadors and the Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra. Notable albums include No Caminho by Dialeto Brasileiro trio (2009), Letters to Grace: A Song Cycle (2011), Infância by Cassio Vianna Jazz Orchestra (2017), and Vida by Cassio Vianna Jazz Orchestra (2025), which earned a Latin Grammy nomination for Best Arrangement in 2025. Vianna has received awards including the Outstanding New Instrumental Composition for 'Baião Moderno' from the International Society of Jazz Composers and Arrangers (2017), composition wins from the Jazz Education Network Young Composer Showcase (2017), National Band Association Jazz Composition Competition (2016), and Ithaca College Jazz Ensemble Composition Contest (2015-2016). Over the past 15 years, he has served as adjudicator, performer, and clinician at jazz festivals and conferences in Latin America, China, and the U.S., presenting clinics and lectures at Jazz Education Network Annual Conferences, the Midwest Clinic, International Composers’ Symposium, NAfME Northwest Conference, and Washington Music Educators Association Conference. In 2015, he taught a two-week program at Guangxi Arts Institute in Nanning, China.