"As a teenager I was listening to my Heros, drummers such as Ed Blackwell, Jack DeJohnette, Steve Smith, Chester Thompson, and many other drummers who were playing Sonor drums. I love the Sonor Drums Sound. Today I play Sonor drums because of the melodic possibilities. Every Sonor drums that I have played sounded great to my ears! Sonor is the only company that offers great sounding drums in a large variety of sizes. I play jazz with a 14" bass drum, 16" bass drums and 18" bass drums, no one makes great drums at those sizes! Love it!"
Professor Henrique De Almeida holds a master’s degree in music performance from The University of Southern Mississippi. He is also a graduate of The Berklee College of Music in Jazz Composition. He is the leader of his own jazz fusion group, The Truth Project Band.
In 2011 Henrique was appointed full time Professor at The Berklee College of Music in the Percussion Department as the replacement for Dream Theater’s drummer Mike Mangini.
2017, While still teaching at The Berklee College pf Music, Henrique became the music director and president of the international online school TheDrumSetCoach.com. In the spring of 2020, he and his wife Erika De Almeida opened a brick-and-mortar music school in Palmer Lake, Colorado, USA, The Drum Set Coach Academy. The school now host some of the best drum teachers in the world! Some are now on the faculty. Drummers such as Mark Walker, Bill Gibson, David Garibaldi, Malachi O’Connor, Guest Artists Tony “Thunder” Smith, Jerry Leak, John Ramsay, Neal Smith, David Cola, Stephen Taylor, and many other teachers are often teaching at the school.
In the fall 2022 Henrique resigned from the Berklee College of Music, in Boston MA, and relocated to Colorado Springs, CO, to become the Music Director of The Drum Set Coach Academy.
Henrique worked, toured, and recorded with some of the top musician in the world including some of the biggest name in Rock, Jazz, Pop/Rock, and Latin styles. For more details about Henrique and complete bio visit TheDrumSetCoach.com
An accomplished author and published clinician, Henrique’s educational products are often ranked high in Modern Drummer Magazine, most recent 4.5 star - Double Bass Integration for The Jazz Fusion Drummer on Berklee press. His books are an integral part of the Berklee College of Music curriculum and are currently available through the top publishing companies such as Berklee Press, Hal Leonard, Carl Fischer, Amazon.com, Drumeo-Canada and Hudson Music.
Henrique is in high demand as a teacher, producer/composer, and a sought-after artist. He has been approached by some of the top drummers in the world seeking drum set instructions. Drumming legends such as David Garibaldi, Bill Gibson, Mark Walker, and many others have benefited from his educational materials. He has also been approached by shows such as ABC’s “Dancing with The Stars” and other enterprises. He is constantly delivering high-praised products to the music industry and designed courses for the Berklee Percussion Department. Henrique works with some of the biggest names in the TV industry, such as HBO and the commercial enterprises, to include writing original music for TV campaign with companies such as Victoria’s Secret and the Australian David Jones Department stores. He also recorded and toured nationally and internationally with the acclaimed USAFA (United States Air Force Academy) Falconaires Contemporary Jazz Big Band, and The USAFA rock band Blue Steel. Henrique has performed several times at the prestigious Carnegie Hall. He wrote articles for Modern Drummer Magazine and has appeared in other publications such as the cover of Drumhead magazine with legendary drummer Steve Gadd.
Henrique performs at music conferences such as PASIC (Percussive Arts Society International Convention), JEN (Jazz Educators Network), Colorado Music Educators Association conference, and numerous jazz festivals around the world. Henrique has performed for The President of the United States, Vice President, and Secretary of Defense. He has performed with an enormous range of artists: Victor Wooten, Steve Hunt (Allan Holdsworth), Bruce Gertz, Dave Samuels, Jerry Bergonzi, Gloria Estefan, Nat Adderley, Antonio Hart, Christopher Holiday, Donny McCaslin, Chris Speed, Igor Butman, Dave Valentin, Scotty Barnhart, Tiger Okoshy, Larry Coryell, Jeff Berlin, Nelson Rangel, Jeff Narell, Ira Sullivan, Victor Mendoza, Danilo Perez, Phil Wilson, Baron Brown, Matt Garrison, Bill Summers, Hilton Ruiz, Betty Carter, Willie Williams, Nando Lauria (Pat Metheny Group), Brazilian Pop Stars: Alceu Valenca, Gilberto Gill, Raul De Souza, Luiz Gonzaga, Hermeto Paschoal, also Brian Lynch, Leo Blanco,, Luciana Souza, Katy Webster, and Oscar Kartaia, among others.
For information regarding studying with Henrique, and for a complete list of music educational products visit: TheDrumSetCoach.com. Follow Henrique on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.