Deraldo Ferreira, founder and director of the Brazilian Cultural Center of New England, is also the founder and leader of the Samba Tremeterra batería. For the past 20 years, he has run the Brazilian Cultural Center while teaching capoeira at the Center and at local schools and colleges. Additionally, he continues to be committed to his lifelong love of music. Deraldo has been a drummer since early childhood, and has taught samba drumming since the mid 1990s. In 1998, he and his students collaborated to start a professional samba group which, from then on, entertained at regular samba parties at the Center as well as at other events throughout the region. At this time, Samba Tremeterra is larger and has extensive experience performing exhilarating shows, both alone and with local and international bands and vocalists.