MÍMICA
by Stephanie Borgani
debut album
Camilla Loreta
preface
Billie Holiday once said: "I don't feel like I'm singing. I feel like I am playing a horn."
During her jazz training, the São Paulo-born singer and songwriter Stephanie Borgani was inspired by the frequent comparisons she encountered between wind instruments, especially saxophones and trumpets, and the human voice. She spent years of her career as a performer and composer developing an interest in the voice used as an instrument, and in 2024, she wrote and performed"Mímica: Música para vozes e instrumentos" (Mimicry: Music for voices and instruments) at the Centro da Terra theater in São Paulo. In this project, she explores treating voices and instruments as living organisms, inspired by the concept of mimicry in evolutionary biology, or the evolved resemblance of one organism to another organism of a different species.
Camilla Loreta
the group
MÍMICA is a chamber music quartet conceived and led by the São Paulo-born jazz composer and vocalist Stephanie Borgani. Bringing together an alto saxophone (Lucas Sales), a tenor saxophone (Marlon Cordeiro), and two amplified voices performing without lyrics (Stephanie Borgani and Marina Marchi), the project adds the warmth of the human voice and the craftsmanship of Brazilian instrumental music to the sound of the contemporary saxophone ensemble.
MÍMICA is a work that defies labels, existing at the intersection of Brazilian instrumental music, contemporary concert music, and free improvisation. these genres offer, on one hand, the possibilities of the voice as an instrumental timbre, and on the other, wind textures that evoke vocal sounds.
Luca Simões
the album
MÍMICA's debut album features eight tracks centered on the eight-movement suite "Música Para Quatro Instrumentos" (Stephanie Borgani). The pieces were originally composed for a namesake concert at the Centro da Terra theater in 2024 and seek to trace an investigation of the possible symmetries between wind instruments and the human voice.
In compositions that bring together both composed and improvised sections, Stephanie explores possibilities of camouflage, alternation, and intertwining between these four timbres and their respective musical universes.
The album was recorded in a single room at Estúdio Arsis on January 18, 2026, with audio engineering and mixing by Adonias Souza, Jr.
Camilla Loreta
Entre seu público-alvo principal estão ouvintes acostumados a escutar repertório de jazz, música de câmara, música instrumental autoral, choro, e improvisação livre, especialmente as comunidade acadêmica e profissional de música de câmara e voz instrumental. O ouvinte ideal é alguém interessado na música de vanguarda e preparado para realizar uma escuta focada. No entanto, por seu caráter instrumental, o álbum de "Mímica" também pode ser interessante para um ouvinte menos acostumado a música de câmara mas que busca músicas instrumentais como fundo sonoro para atividades como leitura ou estudo.
Videos
Album recordings
sample tracks
Brincadeira (Stephanie Borgani)
"Brincadeira", meaning "game" in Portuguese, is the second track in the album and in the 8-part suite "Music for four instruments". An uptempo merry-go-round of intertwining modal melodies, the piece introduces the listener to different combinations of voice and horn, first in pairs and then weaving together as a quartet. The track develops whimsically through an alto sax improvised solo, a somber interlude, and a voice improvised solo, before ending with the initial four-player theme.
Coro (Stephanie Borgani)
"Coro" (choir) is the penultimate movement in the album's namesake suite. A momentary suspension in the album's overall busyness, this piece is slower and more tender. The track features a simple melody with lush harmonizations and graceful counterpoint. Here, rather than camouflaging the two voices as instruments, the composer flips the script by using the two saxophones vocally, transforming the quartet into a wordless chorus.
Credits
Tracklist:
1. I. Montagem (Montage)
2. II. Brincadeira (Game)
3. III. Interlúdio Saxofones (Saxophone interlude)
4. IV. Trave
5. V. Meditação (De Se Esperar) / VI. Interlúdio Vozes (Meditation (To be expected) / Voice interlude)
6. VI. Coro (Choir)
7. VII. Colorida (Colorful)
8. Quieto, Por Favor (Quiet, Please)
All compositions by Stephanie Borgani
Recorded at Estúdio Arsis in São Paulo, Brazil on January 18, 2026
Mixed and mastered by Adonias Souza, Jr.
Produced by Stephanie Borgani
Liner photos by Camilla Loreta and Lucas Simões
Album cover photo by Stephanie Borgani
Video production by Vini Junior at OnPlay
Voice 1: Stephanie Borgani
Voice 2: Marina Marchi
Alto saxophone: Lucas Salles
Tenor saxophone: Marlon Cordeiro