Sharing the joy, energy and rhythm of Samba with people of all backgrounds
Samba New York! is a world-renowned Samba company dedicated to educating, entertaining and uplifting people of all backgrounds with the exhilarating music and dance of Brazil. We are a family-run company founded by Director, Philip Galinsky and Managing Director, Valérie Galinsky — a husband-and-wife team committed to cultural, artistic and business integrity and to providing extraordinary service to its clients and students.
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A leading performer and educator of Samba percussion in the U.S. and one of the foremost ethnomusicologists specializing in Brazilian music, Philip Galinsky, Ph.D. co-founded Samba New York! in 2003 with his wife, Valérie Galinsky. He serves as the group’s Director and principal percussionist.
Born and raised on the Caribbean island of Martinique, Valérie Galinsky co-founded Samba New York! with her husband, Philip Galinsky, in 2003. As Managing Director, she has been instrumental in transforming the company’s performances into industry standards for professionalism. Valérie plays a key role in providing creative direction and support across all areas of the organization, while coordinating the diverse team involved in its activities and performances. In addition to her work at Samba New York!, Valérie is a pioneering Neurolanguage Coach and the Founder of Be Fluent Now, where she runs an active coaching practice in French, Italian, and English.
Aaron Bauer
We had a trio from Samba New York play during the cocktail hour and first dance of our wedding. They were absolutely fantastic–one of my only regrets of the whole evening (and it was nearly perfect!) was that we were running around taking last minute photos during the cocktail hour and didn’t get to hear enough of them!
Dave Grimm
When I found out that Samba New York! was sponsoring a trip to Portugal, I decided to sign up immediately because of the previous experience I had with them in Rio. Philip and Valerie Galinsky are extremely well-known in the Samba community!
Julie Rivera
Samba New York! were amazing at our University event last week! The lecture was very informative and the dancers were very interactive with our audience! The dancing was lively and all the students enjoyed it!
Marcos Adler
Samba New York! played all the classic Samba songs from Rio’s street carnival in our party and did a great job. The crowd was entertained and nostalgic Brazilians dreaming of carnival from back home could get a good taste of it.
Kleber KomkA
Philip Galinsky is a kind of ambassador of Samba culture in the United States. A great professional, with musical training and a specialization in Brazilian music, he is a researcher and master in Samba.
Magali Medeiros
Philip is a spectacular percussionist and professor. He plays Brazilian percussion like a native. I’m grateful for the partnership with a professional like Dr. Samba . . . and very moved by the love and respect he has for the Samba and its roots.
Rafael Krausz
Whole band came from New York full of energy! Amazing night at the Voyeur stage!
Real Brazilian Carnaval 🙂
Eduardo Lender
We got Samba New York! as the show entertainment for our son’s bar mitzvah. It was a hell of a performance! Definitely the highlight of the night. The dancers and capoeira guys put on some show and interacted with the crowd. Awesome, guys.
Kristy
I am a wedding planner and recently had the privilege of hiring Samba New York! for an “hora loca” show. Their authenticity could not be matched. They had an amazing sound, and all the guests were on their feet. The wedding I planned was a mixture of two cultures, and one side of the family had never seen a performance like this at a wedding. They were mesmerized.
Stacy Kovacs
Throughout my time with Philip, I gained the skills and knowledge to even start my own group! Philip is a pillar in both the Brazilian music and greater NYC music communities. Without him, the Brazilian music scene may not be where it is right now. He is an inspiration to me, and I know many others have flourished under his guidance and teachings.
Bianca Benoliel
Samba New York was amazing and ever so accommodating. I was sad I had not succeeded in hiring a Samba band for my wedding and luckily, the night before the event, a friend mentioned them. I called with little hopes of finding what I wanted but I did. By 9pm, as Phillip, the band leader, promised, I would have an answer and in this case, we sealed the deal. The quality and presence of the band is also amazing! They really know what they are doing. The spirit of Brazil in a very classy way. Many many thanks for making my weeding even more memorable! Highly Recommend!
Katherine Frankel
The dancers were absolutely stunning as were their costumes and everyone was rushing to get photos with them. They couldn’t have been friendlier or more charming and the photos were incredible. The performance was with their drummers and it made for an eye catching and stunning interval throughout the party to keep the energy high.
Everyone was talking about the group and it was without a doubt, the hit of the party.
They are totally professional and wonderful to deal with from beginning to end and worked around our needs with great flexibility and warmth. I can recommend them to anyone – they will be the hit of your event or party!
Jason Arsenault
Mountainside wanted to thank Samba New York for bringing such energy, love, and music to our first annual Sober Cruise! The dancers were amazing, joined in the dancing with guest, posed for pictures, and were extremely professional The bass nova dinner number was the perfect dinner music before amazing and energetic performances to finish off the night.
John C
Samba New York’s performance was amazing at my best friend’s wedding. The drummers and the dancers brought the energy to a higher level and got everyone on the dance floor. If you want very professional and easy to work with performers, this is the band for you. I am planning an event this year and can’t wait to have Samba New York! raise the roof.
Nathalie Gosdinsky
Samba New York! was the perfect choice of entertainment and live music for our wedding. The drummers and beautiful dancers got everybody on the floor to dance and an awesome time was had by all. Philip and Valerie are extremely professional and a pleasure to work with and they went out of their way to accommodate our requests. We highly recommend Samba New York! for your wedding or special event, it’s a unique and amazing show that will be the delight of all your guests.
Dhani A
My entire experience with Samba New York was extraordinary. From the first phone call, to the subsequent planning calls, the final logistics discussions, the troop actually getting to my venue on time, having the performers ready on time, and putting on a great show, was nothing short of perfection. The director of Samba New York, Phillip, was professional, courteous, and accommodating. The performers were fantastic. My guests loved the drummers and were mesmerized by the dancers, especially the boys :-). The overall performance was fantastic. I would recommend this group to anyone and wish Phillip and his team much success.
Allie Fleder
Samba New York! was not only extremely professional, easy, flexible and friendly to work with — their actual performance at our party was what made the entire party a success. Until they performed, it was just a regular kind of event for our young professionals group — but they had everyone up dancing, clapping, caught up in the music and the Brazilian culture. And days later, they are still all everyone is talking about with regards to the party! Such a hit. We would work with them again in a heartbeat and recommend them most highly.
Paul Norton
We had Samba New York at our Mardi Gras/Carnival party as special entertainment and it could not have been better. The planning was easy and professional with Philip staying in constant contact. The performers brought great energy and big smiles to ensure everyone had good time. The crowd was up and dancing at the encouragement of the dancers. The best tribute to the performance was as the group was leaving having changed out of costumes the whole party broke into spontaneous applause to thank then for an unforgettable experience.
Denise McClean
Prospect Park Zoo has hosted Samba New York! for several years at our Samba with the Sea Lions event. Phillip and his crew are great to work with and put on a super show – zoo visitors, staff and even the sea lions enjoy it!
Andreia Wynne
I had a group of 3 drummers and 2 samba dancers performing at my husbands 50th Birthday party and it was AMAZING!!! Philip Jalinsky is very professional and manage everything so nice. No headaches! They are very, very good musicians and the dancers were very good and engaged with the people. Our family and friends will be talking about his forever. The way that the music got everyone up dancing was great. People that I never saw dance before was so happy dancing around. I recommend this group with 5 stars in all the categories and thanks so much for making our party the Best party ever!
Samba New York! is a world-renowned Samba company dedicated to educating, entertaining and uplifting people of all backgrounds with the exhilarating music and dance of Brazil.
Photo/Video Credits: Heliel Di Cavalcanti, David Careta, Julio Coral, Farley Campoverde and PASIC 2023.
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Known as “Dr. Samba” for his unique blend of academic expertise and practical knowledge in Brazilian music, Philip Galinsky is an influential figure in the global Samba community. With over 30 years of experience, he has conducted extensive research in Brazil and published widely in the field of ethnomusicology, including pioneering studies on the Pagode Samba and Mangue movements. He holds a Ph.D. in ethnomusicology from Wesleyan University, where his doctoral dissertation, Maracatu Atômico, was selected for publication in Routledge’s Outstanding Dissertations series. He has taught ethnomusicology at Wesleyan University, UC Davis and Hampshire College, also founding and directing Samba ensembles and fostering communities of passionate Samba musicians at each of these institutions.
Philip began his Samba percussion studies in the 1990s in New York City, learning from such influential teachers as Ivo Araújo of Manhattan Samba, Justino Rogers of Quilombo, and Eddie Rosenthal of the Verde e Amarelo Samba School. Since then, he has continued to deepen his expertise by studying with numerous renowned Brazilian master Samba percussionists, including Jorge Alabê, Miguel do Repinique, Boca Rum, Mestre Odilon Costa, Mestre Jonas de Oliveira, Mestre Aílton Nunes, Mestre Guilherme, Mestre Gustavo and Jefferson Chiclete, among many others. In 1999, through his close friendship with percussionist Marcos Ferreira, Philip paraded for the first time in a Samba School drum section in Rio Carnaval. Since then, he has paraded as a percussionist in Rio Carnaval with some of the world’s most famous Samba Schools—including Mocidade, Salgueiro, and Imperatriz—a rare honor for a non-Brazilian.
A leader in Samba music education in the U.S. for over 30 years, Philip has trained an estimated 2,000-4,000 individuals of all ages and backgrounds in this vibrant percussive art form since 1994. Many of his students have joined Samba New York’s in-house drumming team, while others have gone on to lead their own groups, including Phillybloco, Unidos da Filadelfia, Harlem Samba, Mais Um, Batalá New York and Fogo Azul NYC—all of which have made significant contributions to the Brazilian music scene in the greater New York City area.
Since 2003, Samba New York! has become the preeminent training ground for Samba percussionists in New York City, with Philip recognized as a go-to expert in Samba drumming across the U.S. and beyond.
Philip has led workshops, masterclasses and residencies at numerous institutions, including NYU, The New School, CUNY Graduate Center, Colby College, University of Michigan, and many others. He has also taught at the Percussive Arts Society’s International Conference, the California Brazil Camp, and Samba groups across the U.S., such as Harlem Samba (NYC), Vavá United School of Samba (Washington, DC), Second City Samba (Evanston, IL), SambaLá (Boca Raton, FL) and VamoLá (Seattle, WA).
With Samba New York!, Philip has performed at such high-profile events as ESPN’s Upfront at the Minskoff Theater, Google’s YouTube Brandcast with Katy Perry, Central Park SummerStage, and the New York Salsa Festival at Barclays Center for an audience of 25,000. The ensemble has also opened for such Brazilian acts as Diogo Nogueira and Skank, appeared on U.S. media including the CBS Early Show, the Today Show and Dr. Oz Show, and was featured on TV Globo’s Jornal Nacional, Brazil’s most widely viewed nightly news program. As a percussionist, Philip has performed with singer-composer, Silvana Magdá and such Samba artists as the iconic Neguinho da Beija-Flor and Almirzinho, son of legendary sambista Almir Guinéto.
Together with his wife and partner in Samba New York!, Valérie Galinsky, Philip won the 2024 Artistic Entrepreneur of the Year Award from the New York Small Business Development Center. He has also received three grants from the New York State Council on the Arts.
Philip is an endorser of Contemporânea, Latin America’s largest percussion manufacturer, and one of Brazil’s premier Samba percussion brands. He is available for clinics, masterclasses, workshops, performances, private coaching and recordings.