André Luis Lorena, know by his nick name, Passarinho, was born in 09/06/1976, in Formiga, Brazil. He comes from a musician family. His father, Rivaltino Lorena and his uncles, Osmair Lorena and Ildeu Santiago, were part of the famous and extinct “Centenário” group. His mother, Maria Imaculada Lorena and his aunts Dilce Aparecida and Carmen Lúcia, were radio singers, getting a great outstanding at the time performance.

It happened when he was thirteen years old, when he began to practice capoeira with a percussionist of Minas Gerais (Brazil), Master Kaíka. With Kaíka, he learned and develope his first musical “touches” (berimbau, pandeiro and atabaque) and within the time he began to get interested in other instruments (bongôs, congas, etc.) and from this moment on, he started studing for himself. Always guided by his hearing, he assimilated several rhythms and in a short period of time he was already producing.

Initiation

It happened in the Choirs of the Life!!! Wich means, in the Catholic church choirs. With his uncles´s incentive, Ildeu Santiago, he participated of many: Choir of Dimas, Eac, Choir of Jane, Mac, Ecc, etc. That was his first school and discipline him for the musical instruments.

André Passarinho has a great curriculum due to his participation in several groups and bands. These bands result today in the Banda Arrastão. 
To get to this point, his first group, “Grupo Sem Compromisso”, in the middle of 1992 was really important. It was composed by extremely experient musicians, who gave the chance for a young boy to show his work, starting his career. They were: Heverton (guitar), Pretinho (banjo), Kaíka (pandeiro), Maico (tan-tan) and the 16 year-old boy, Passarinho (repique de mão).
Afetr that, he worked with Peruca and his group of “choro”, playing “surdo”, and in the middle time he began to be interested in strings. First by guitars and then “cavaquinho”. After that, he worked with the group of bahiana music “Gente Nossa”, already playing strings. After this course, he started with his first band: Agitação, wich is Banda Arrastão now.
At “ Agitação”, he discover that he had a singer/composer vein, and with own compositions, he’s participated and won music festivals of Minas Gerais. Such as: Boa Esperança e Varginha, receiving the prizes of Better Music and Better Interpreter.
In 1995, he played his first Carnaval in Furnastur, the following year in Nautico Formiguense, with André Gouvéia, going back to this place in 1997, with the Band Ellus.

Everything began in 1997, when his master, Mão Branca, invited him to teach capoeira in Switzerland. He agreeded at the same moment, and he got there in mid-June. He felt like he was at home and quickly integrated himself in the métier de la musique...
He worked with several bands, some of then are:

• Profetta e Chamego do Batuquerê;
• Curuja Colorida;
• Cachasamba;
• Didi Sheik;
• Mandacaru;
• Berimbolada;
•  

Played with several famous musicians, some of them: 

• Jorge Ben Jor (small participation in the Montreux Jazz Festival, 1997) 
• Chico César (El Cubanito – Zurick novembro de 1997)
• Salgadinho Ex-Katinguelê (novembro 2006)

In mid 1998, because of his musical objectives, he decided to return to Brazil, establishing himself in São Paulo, the largest commercial center of the country. There, he joined a great fight in search of opportunities... 
He worked with couples, quartets and bands, such as:

• Passarinho e Jatanael;
• Passarinho e Eros;
• Quarteto Brasil;
• Banda Jacksão 5;
• Amã;
• Artigo 28;
• Banda Ellus;
• Luandá (with which also recorded a demo CD);
• É o Tchan: he was one of the eight finalists, among more than 1200 candidates from the whole Brazil, that disputed the vocalist's place, Beto Jamaica. The eight finalists disputed in the program “Domingão do Faustão”, of  “Rede Globo”.

• EUROPE:
• Spain – Madri
• Germany – Berlim

France - Lyon

• Italy - Firenze
• Belgium - Bruxelas
• Switzerland:Atelier Volant Lausanne, Fête de la Cité, Carnaval de Lausanne, Festival de Vernier-Geneve, Festival de Uri, Festiv’Ouchy, Tucano,Gibo, Tropicana, Festival Nyon, Copyquick Bar, Bateau et Train Brésilien au Festival Montreux, L’Indigo Vevey,  El Cubanito Zurick, Fête de Zürich, Carnaval 1998 Genève, Cintra Fribourg, Bar Brésilien de Delémont, Yverdon, Nouveau Monde, etc…

• BRAZIL :
• São Paulo : Cabral, Mistura Brasileira, Pólo Norte, Carioca Club, Avenida Club, Igarapava (Carnaval 2002), etc…
• Bahia : Salvador, Trancoso and Porto Seguro ;
• Minas Gerais: Carlitos Bar; Clube Centenário de Formiga; Country Club; Residencial Náutico Formiguense; Terminal Rodoviário; Furnastur; Parque de Exposição Agropecuária; Praça Ferreira Pires (Abertura Carnaval 1996); Arcos, Belo Horizonte, Boa Esperança, Campo Belo, Candeias, Capitólio, Córrego-Fundo, Divinópolis, Lagoa da Prata (Carnaval 1999), Pains, Pimenta, Piumhi, Varginha, São João Del Rei, etc…