With Nó em Pingo d'Água, he won the Choro Contest twice in Rio de Janeiro (1979 and 1995), having also been awarded the Playboy (1984) and Sharp (1990) prizes. He toured the United States and Europe, representing Rio de Janeiro at the III Encontro Ibero-Americano de Cultura in Santiago, Chile (1993). He participated in the Bienal de Música Contemporânea Brasileira (1994) and the Festival Chorando Alto (1997), with Paulinho da Viola. With Aquarela Carioca, he was nominated three times for Sharp awards. He again toured the U.S. and Europe, performing in the Montreux International Jazz Festival (1994) with Ney Matogrosso. In 1989, he played the Free Jazz Festival. He also worked with Geraldo Azevedo and Alceu Valença, having been a member of Roberto Gnattali's Orquestra de Música Brasileira and Paulo Moura's Orquestra de Sax. He graduated in flute and composition at UFRJ, and studied with Mauro Senise, Lenir Siqueira, Adamo Prince, and Carlos Almada. ~ Alvaro Neder