Born in Lisbon in 1963, he began his official musical studies at the Academia de Amadores de Música. He graduated in Composition at the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa, where he studied with, among others, Eurico Carrapatoso, António Pinho Vargas and Christopher Bochmann. He has a PhD in Music/Composition from the University of Aveiro, under the orientation of João Pedro Oliveira and C. Bochmann, with a scholarship from the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia.
He was awarded the Lopes Graça Composition Prize twice, in 1999 and 2000.
Since 1996 he has directed various formations, such as the ensemble Jardins Suspensos and the Ensemble Portátil with which he has developed work in the area of contemporary music and in the harmonisation of traditional Portuguese music. Currently he directs the ClusterLAB ensemble from ESML with which he has been developing a regular work of research based on practice, in areas such as contemporary opera, mixed music, music for specific space and contemporary music in general.
He has received commissions from various entities, either national and international festivals, as well as from numerous formations dedicated to contemporary music, and his works are played regularly in Portugal and abroad.
His interest in interdisciplinary work has led him to collaborate with contemporary theatre and dance, with directors João Brites, Raul Atalaia, Luís Miguel Cintra, Paulo Lages and José Russo and choreographers Madalena Victorino, Vera Mantero and Sofia Silva.
He is currently sub-director of the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa, where he teaches various disciplines in the area of Composition and where he coordinates the Music Technologies course.