Matthias Haffner has more than 30 years experience of playing Brazilian percussion. He studied Brazilian-, Cuban- and world-percussion at the conservatory in Rotterdam from 1996 - 2002 and played in countless bands and projects. His work includes projects together with the samba-legend Paulinho da Viola, choro virtuous Paulo Moura, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Rogerio Souza and the EPM in Rio de Janeiro.
Haffner lived in and travelled to Brazil several times to study with the masters there: Marcos Suzano, Bernardo Aguilar, Guello, Celsinho Silva, Jorginho do Pandeiro, Robertinho Silva, Jovi Joviano, Sergio Krakowski, Mamão etc. In 2014 he made a tour through Minas Gerais with his Choro Trio Bola Preta and travelled to Pernambuco, Bahia and Rio to work on a unique project: a video documentary about the Pandeiro. On this trip, he met many old and new Pandeiro masters. Matthias Haffner is teacher for Brazilian percussion and Pandeiro at the first Choro school outside Brazil: the EPM Holanda, based in Rotterdam, an official branch of the famous Choro school EPM in Rio de Janeiro.
In 2016, he moved his base to Berlin / Germany, where he plays and teaches regularly. There, he also founded his monthly Roda de Choro and a huge Pandeiro orchestra, the Pandeirada Berlin.
Haffner gives masterclasses for Pandeiro and Brazilian percussion in whole Europe (Holland, England, Portugal, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Poland, Turkey) and abroad (New York, Salvador, Japan, Taiwan).
His instructional tutorials about the pandeiro, “The Complete Pandeiro Guide”, have been released in 2018. They are the most extensive and detailed work about this instrument existing.
In 2019, his book “Blocos Afro” about the Afro-Samba tradition in Bahia will be published. Besides his career as a musician and teacher, Haffner also builds high quality Pandeiros together with his colleague Perander: the HP Pandeiro.