Caio de Souza is one of the most distinguished viola caipira (10-string guitar) players of his generation, with a unique musical approach that combines his influences from Brazilian traditional music, classical music, and world music. His most recent projects include a residency with OneBeat, produced by Bang on a Can’s Found Sound Nation, and a series of three visual albums, No Pinicado da Viola.

Caio has toured internationally (Germany and France) with his former group Sexteto Clariô and has performed in several cities in Brazil with distinguished artists such as Mestre Bule Bule (Bahia), Juraildes da Cruz (Goias), the country duo Zé Mulato and Cassiano (Brasilia), and Rubinho do Vale (Minas Gerais), among many others. He made his debut as a soloist with the University of São Paulo Philarmonic Orchestra in cities across the state of São Paulo. Caio has released three albums: Urutu with Leticia Leal (viola caipira), Espalha Brasa - Zequinha de Abreu on Viola Caipira (Caio de Souza Quartet), and Onde Está o Jeca? (Soprano a Viola), and one EP: Foi Ontem, Será Amanhã with Arthur Boscato (7-string guitar).

He has played, given workshops, and lectured at various American universities and institutions, including Florida State University (Tallahassee), the University of Minnesota Twin Cities (Minneapolis), Indiana University (Bloomington), the University of Colorado (Boulder), and Silkroad Global Musicians Workshop. He has also played in the concert series of the Indianapolis Classical Guitar Society and Knoxville Classical Guitar Society.

In addition to being an active performer, Caio de Souza is also a dedicated researcher. His research focuses on the performance of sound archives, with a special emphasis on recordings of Afro-diasporic origin. He is currently working on the capoeira recordings made by African-American linguist Lorenzo Dow Turner in Salvador, Brazil, between 1940 and 1941, housed in the Archives of Traditional Music. Caio has reimagined these historical fragments through a collaborative research project with the Grupo de Capoeira Angola Estrela do Norte, based in Bloomington, Indiana, which culminated in the recording of the album "Coco Maduro." Other research interests: traditional Brazilian music, popular music, and recording technologies. He is currently a professor of ethnomusicology at the State University of Amapá, Brazil.

Caio de Souza holds a bachelor's degree in viola caipira performance from the University of São Paulo and an M.A. in ethnomusicology from Indiana University, Bloomington, USA.