The Caixa is a Brazilian snare drum. The caixa’s continuous beats form the driving force behind the band and brings the energy level of the groove to another level. Ghost notes are played with pronounced strokes and syncopated accents outlining the overall rhythm and accentuating the unique Brazilian samba swing.

Arvin is a new member of Sambiesta and normally play either the 3rd or 4th surdo, a.k.a cortador ("cutter" in English) surdo. He's new to a Brazilian Bateria setup but not new to the world of percussion. He has been playing both tuned and untuned percussion from Secondary School, tertiary institution and in the SAF Bands as well. Arvin especially loves playing the drum kit and have been continuously playing it for almost 12 years now and have recently won the "Best Drummer" Award from the Yamaha Asian Beat Competition 2008 with his progressive funk/rock band.

Being in Sambiesta will not only expose him to more Brazilian samba-reggae rhythms but also expand his knowledge and skills in this wonderful style of playing, samba-enredo!

A Chinese drummer in her teenage years, Jia Kai was first introduced to Afro-Brazilian rhythms when she was roped into the annual SMU convocation production as a member of Samba Masala in the Year 2005. Since then, she has become a convert. Her love for the art was heightened during a musical exchange with BatUCLdA in summer 2007. Inspired by the passion of her American peers, she wished she could play on forever. So now with the formation of Sambiesta, she is glad that despite graduation, she can continue grooving with her favourite friends for many years to come. Currently, she is a happy Caixa player who enjoys being constantly challenged in terms of her technical skills and etc.

Yuchang was exposed to the world of music very early on, when he picked up playing the piano from the age of 6. Introduced to basic drumming with the Raffles Institution Military Band, he started drumming at 13. This was followed by a 2-year stint with the Raffles Junior College Symphonic Band. The 6 years of drumming with the band was highlighted by 2 gold medallions from the Singapore Youth Festival Competitions and a top band award in 2001.

Yuchang's true passion for drumming was finally discovered when he was introduced to Afro-Brazilian percussion in 2005 when he joined Samba Masala. He has also played to crowds abroad in Los Angeles, London and most memorably, for the Drogheda Samba Festival in Ireland.

Initially a surdo player, Yuchang then moved on to pick up the caixa, which he continues to play for Sambiesta with great enjoyment today.

Currently pursuing degrees in business management and accountancy at SMU, Yuchang is intending to enter the banking sector upon graduation in 2009 – but will definitely continue to play great music alongside a bunch of very good friends.