ELECTRONIC PRESS KIT
Mike Vitale & Igor Brasil
Mike Vitale and Igor Brasil are an acoustic duo, who first met one other performing on a Holland America Cruise Line Vessel: the Nieuw Statendam. It’s a pinnacle class ship with a wide range of entertainment for its 2,500 plus passengers. Igor was the lead guitar player in the Rolling Stone Band and Mike performed solo acoustic as the Regional Soloist, a solo singer-songwriter on the vessel.
Both Mike and Igor have a diverse and extensive background in performance experience, matched only by their further expansive list of genres and styles of music they both perform which include, but are not limited to: Pop, Rock, Blues, Reggae, Latin, Folk, Country, Americana, Jazz, R&B, Soul, and Hip Hop.
This is a factor that plays a large part in the two enjoying performing with one another: their shared enthusiasm of performing a wide variety of music that spans the globe, whether it be Caribbean genres including Reggae, Afro-Cuban Guajira, Salsa or South American Traditional Brazilian music like Samba, Bossa Nova, and Baião that spans the gamete of Igor’s rich history within his own culture and heritage.
Igor is equally as comfortable playing Led Zeppelin and other wide swaths of rock and roll classics, adoring the work of Jimmy Page as a kid, before later focusing his attention as an adult on the jazz guitar greats like Pat Metheny and John Scofield.
Mike in turn, has hopscotched around genres, which include but are not limited to, Eric Clapton, The Eagles, Paul Simon, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, The Police, Robert Johnson, Buena Vista Social Club, Celia Cruz, Bob Marley, Steve Miller Band, The Grateful Dead, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Creedence Clearwater Revival, David Bowie, Elvis Presley, Hank Williams, John Mayer, Journey, Michael Jackson, Neil Young, Neil Diamond, Pink Floyd, The Beach Boys and countless other songwriters and groups.
Much to Mike’s enthusiasm, Igor was equally as opine with his choice of music and repertoire, and has also performed the work of many of these artists within his extensive background of playing professionally as a lead guitar player.
Igor Brasil and Mike Vitale performing in front of a packed audience at the BB King Lounge aboard the Holland America Neiuw Statendam in October 2026
A BIT ABOUT IGOR BRASIL
Igor Brasil is a prominent musician, educator, and researcher. Over the course of his twenty-plus-year career, he has performed with a wide range of artists both in Brazil and abroad, contributed to musical theater productions and television programs, and served as a guitarist and arranger on more than a dozen albums. He leads the band “Èkó Afrobeat” and, in 2021, released his debut solo album, “Dialeto Sonoro”.
Notable recent projects include his work with the “Freedom Big Band”—with whom he shared the stage with acclaimed artists such as Proveta, Teco Cardoso, and Monica Salmaso, as well as his participation in the live DVD for the reggae band “Alma Djem” and the Belchior tribute project “Amar e Mudar as Coisas”, alongside Marisa Orth, Taciana Barros, and Karina Buhr.
In 2026, he was hired by “RWS Global” as a lead guitarist for the “Holland America Line,” performing aboard the ship “Nieuw Statendam”, where he played approximately 174 shows across 28 countries between March and October.
An educator since 2005, Igor holds a Bachelor’s degree in Popular Music (2007) and a Master’s degree in Music (2015), both from the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP). From 2021 to 2022, he taught guitar, electric bass, and chamber music at the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB), and he is currently pursuing a PhD in Music at UNICAMP.
A BIT ABOUT MIKE VITALE
Mike is an accomplished singer-songwriter and storyteller who has toured his original music all over the United States for the past twenty plus years and has performed at notable Folk Festivals such as the Kerrville Folk Festival in Kerrville, Texas.
He was selected two years in a row to perform at this festival for his original songwriting. The Kerrville Folk Festival has had the likes of Willie Nelson; Peter, Paul and Mary; Emmylou Harris, David Crosby, Townes Van Zandt, and many more perform as headliners. Mike joins the ranks of such notable songwriting talents as Lyle Lovett, Lucinda Williams, Robert Earl Keen, Nanci Griffith, and Gregory Alan Isakov who have all performed their original music for the New Folk Songwriter Competition.
He has been a finalist and semi-finalist in songwriting competitions such as International Songwriting Competition and Unsigned Only.
Mike carries a Bachelors Degree and has studied Musical Composition and Commercial Music at California State University Fullerton, while also studying composition in a comprehensive two-year Music Theory program at College of the Sequoias. He cut his teeth performing his original music for live audiences, playing a weekly show at Plush Cafe in Fullerton, California while attending college, and grew a grass roots audience playing a weekly Wednesday night show there, just as social media platforms were beginning to emerge in the early 2000’s. His weekly shows were at capacity for the venue and people would often hang out outside to listen.
He has been performing professionally in front of audiences for twenty eight years and is a master storyteller and has captivated audiences with stories between songs, as much as he has belting and crooning melodies over his guitar. He has written, produced and released four full length albums and countless singles.
While living in Long Beach and Los Angeles, Mike Vitale was tapped by Joel Eckels to host a weekly Songwriter event at the Hotel Cafe in Hollywood, and hosted this event for several years in order to help the local songwriting community connect without one another and share their work. Countless celebrities, actors, actresses, and record labels executives would attend this event on a weekly basis to be entertained by upcoming talent performing at this songwriter showcase. Notable alumni who have performed Monday Monday and The Hootenanny include David Ryan Harris, Molly Tuttle, Sara Bareilles, Chris Pierce, The Milk Carton Kids, Phoebe Bridgers, Margo Price, Lucas Nelson, JP Saxe, Jesse Welles, Casey Abrams, and many more.
LIVE PERFORMANCES |Cover Material
BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS “IS THIS LOVE”
BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS “SATISFY MY SOUL”
THE EAGLES “TAKE IT EASY”
JOHN DENVER “TAKE ME HOME COUNTRY ROADS”
LIVE PERFORMANCES |Audience Participation
TESTIMONIALS FROM PASSENGERS | HOLLAND AMERICA LINE NIEUW STATENDAM
These are testimonials from passengers who took the time to write guest services because they were impressed by the work we do. Igor and I are both committed to spreading good vibes, and this is proof positive of our work. These testimonials are from just a small frame of time. Approximately the month of August 2026.
“Whoever is in charge of music… the guitar player in the Ocean Bar may the best individual performer I’ve experienced on a Holland America Cruise.”
- Mr. Morgan
“We left Club Orange and were captivated by Mike Vitale. Amazing songwriter, storyteller, and musician. We travel HAL often and it has been a long time since I was impressed by one of the performers. So excited for the next 13 days.”
- Ms. A Lo Verdi
“I have sailed on a few HAL cruises to date but have to say that Mike Vitale is by far the best solo guitarist than those on any previous cruises. His unique interpretations of well known, and less well known classics, as well as his own compositions are extremely well presented and entertaining. Kudos.”
- Mr. Fitzsimmons
“I’ve enjoyed the guitar and voice music by Mike Vitale. He is very talented! We also enjoyed Samuel and Elly on the pianos every time they were on. So very talented and enjoyable to listen to. A shout out and thanks to all.”
Ms. Higginson
“We have really enjoyed listening to Mike Vitale. Hopefully our paths will cross on a future HAL itinerary.”
- Mr. Curry
“Mike the soloist does a great job, a pleasure to listen to.”
Mr. Campbell
“Rolling Stones band is great. Had a brief talk with Igor from Brazil really cool guy. They need to be on all cruises I'm on.”
- Mr. Campbell
“The Rolling Stone Band are excellent. Each musician and the singer are extremely talented individuals. Their sets are very high energy with a large variety of songs. Each evening is similar to a true rock concert.”
- Mrs. Childs
“Mike Vitale! Love this. Guitar player with his quiet style and great stories. Thank you for having all types of music”
- Ms. Wilde
The guitar player [Mike Vitale] in the Ocean Bar was very good!”
- Ms. Killby
The Rolling Stones Band were WONDERFUL!
- Mr. Sibley
“Mike Vitale is an excellent performer, and he provides beautiful music and storytelling. His presence is wonderful and calming, which is so great during all of the challenges of travel. It was a great pleasure to listen to him. It is very wise of HAL to have him entertain us.”
- Ms. Kanyongolo
“The rock band also rocked the ship.”
- Mrs. Kretschmann
“Mike Vitale was awesome during his first set! Love listening to him!”
- Ms. Wilde