Walter Rodrigues Jr. was born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil. His mother was a classical pianist, and his father a multi-talented minister. Growing up in his father’s church, Walter was constantly exposed to music and started playing the guitar at a very young age. Fascinated by the sounds of jazz guitarist Joe Pass, Walter soon began working on arranging fingerstyle music. In 1989, he moved to Hollywood, California, to attend the Musicians Institute. Upon graduation, Walter relocated to Miami, FL, where he received a full scholarship to attend the Jazz Performance program at the Florida International University, receiving his Bachelor of Music in 1996. While in Miami, Walter performed with many notable musicians, including world-renowned Arturo Sandoval and Ira Sullivan. He has also participated in jazz festivals in the United States and abroad. With his ability to reinterpret familiar songs, Walter has captivated a new audience and garnered worldwide appreciation for his creative approach. He has been featured in various jazz publications such as Fingerstyle Guitar Journal, Fingerstyle360, JazzReview.com, Just Jazz Guitar, and FingerstyleGuitarists.com. He is also a signature artist for Musicnotes.com, the world leader in digital sheet music. With over 36 million views and 200K subscribers, Walter’s YouTube channel has become a worldwide reference for fingerstyle jazz arrangements. Besides composing, arranging, and performing, Walter has been a music educator for the past 23 years and maintains an active teaching schedule. Walter states that his greatest joy and honor is to praise God with his music.

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