born on march 5th, 1887 in rio de janeiro, Heitor Villa-Lobos was a composer credited with developing a music style particularly 'brazilian' - in fact, his work included and combined elements from brazilian regional cultures, folk songs, and indigenous rhythms. considered one of the most important 'modernist' musicians in brazil, his birthday was declared the national day of classical music (Dia Nacional da Música Clássica) - on this day, a variety of special events and concerts are held across rio de janeiro.     The Villa-Lobos Festival established itself both as the largest and most comprehensive Brazilian music festival in the country, and as an aggregator of top talent across different generations and genres, offering access to an important representation of Brazilian musical culture.