The Artists

Artistic Director, Guitar & Vocal

Manny Moreira is the founder and producing artistic director of the

NEW DECO® ORCHESTRA. He is a Brazilian American, Juilliard trained conductor, guitarist, vocalist, composer, arranger and producer. Throughout his career he has performed on five continents including a month-long tour of Africa for which he was selected from a nation-wide competition as a Latin Jazz Ambassador by the United States Department of State and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He is a veteran of five national tours and four multiple TONY award winning Broadway shows including IN THE HEIGHTS. The show won four TONY'S including BEST MUSICAL. He worked with TONY; EMMY; GRAMMY; and PULITZER prize winner, LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA for four years and was the original guitarist for the show beginning with the Off B'way production through the entire B'way run of 1,185 performances. He also appears in the film version directed by Jon Chu. Other B’way shows include: The WHO’S TOMMY; ELTON JOHN’S AIDA; SMOKEY JOE’S CAFE; and BLOOD BROTHERS with HELEN REDDY with whom he later toured. Among his touring career was The BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN TEXAS with ACADEMY AWARD winner ANN-MARGRET and with whom he also appeared as a principal, on stage guitarist, performer and vocalist. He has performed multiple times at many performing arts centers nationally including: the Denver Center, the Broward, the Arsht, the Kravis, Lincoln Center with Brazilian opera star and TONY award winner Paulo Szot for whom he also wrote orchestrations, and the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, where he has performed dozens of times. His recording career includes the aforementioned GRAMMY award winning show album of IN THE HEIGHTS and PARAISO with GRAMMY winner and jazz legend Gerry Mulligan, with whom he also collaborated the musical arrangements. Most recently, he co-produced the critically acclaimed album SAVOY with his friend and colleague, legendary producer John Simon, for three-time GRAMMY winner and iconic blues master TAJ MAHAL. The album SAVOY won the DOWNBEAT CRITICS AWARD for BEST BLUES ALBUM of 2023. Studies include: jazz guitar with virtuoso Pat Martino; orchestral conducting with maestro Vincent LaSelva at the Juilliard School in NYC; acting and scene study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London with renowned acting teacher Lloyd Trott and voice with maestro Jim Carson in NYC. He is a longtime member of the American Federation of  Musicians; Actors Equity Association; the Writers Guild of America; and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.