Kimberly Cullen has lived in Oregon since 2000. Born and raised in Wisconsin, she was fortunate to grow up in a family with a love for making and listening to music, and parents who supported (and endured!) the early years of their kids’ explorations in brass, woodwind, strings, piano, drums, percussion, and vocals.
In 1992, as a teenage foreign exchange student, she lived in Fortaleza, Brazil with Ada & Nilton Vieira and their three kids, Lara, Anya and Igor, and ate delicious food, made friends, and danced forró! This short (6 months) but influential experience instilled a love for Brazilian music and culture, inspired passionate learning, and led her to wonderful friends.
Following her student exchange, she continued her musical education at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay with a minor in percussion and has continued learning from others on the West Coast via workshops, rodas, ensembles, lessons and recordings.
Influenced by fellow musicians and those around her, she continues music making in Choro na Cozinha as a percussionist and vocalist and also with her two-years-old daughter and muse, Jaylyn.