Born in São Paulo in 1934, where he began his music studies with the pianist Ilíria Serato. He graduated from the Conservatório Dramático e Musical de São Paulo in 1953, and in 1955 began studying harmony with Martin Braunwiser. He studied harmony and composition with Camargo Guarnieri from 1956 to 1968. Soon he acquired great recognition as a composer in Brazil and abroad, having received more than a dozen prizes in composition, including the prestigious "Prêmio Governador do Estado de São Paulo" for his Concertino for trumpet and orchestra. As a pedagogue, he has been a pioneer in using mass media as a vehicle for music education in Brazil, and has contributed regular critical essays for major periodicals such as Folha de São Paulo and O Estado de São Paulo. He idealized and founded the Academia Paulista de Música, of which he is president, and he is a member of the Academia Brasileira de Música. Currently, he teaches harmony, counterpoint, and composition at the Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP).

Selected Works

• Trio, for violin, cello and piano (1964)
• Concertino for piano and orchestra (1967/69)
• Agreste, concerto for guitar and orchestra (1992)
• Concerto for piano and orchestra (1981)
• Tibiqüera, opera for children (1997)
• Symphony no. 1, for winds, double-bass and percussion (1997)