Ricardo Pinheiro holds a Degree in Music from Berklee College of Music, Boston; a Degree in Psychology Sciences from the Universidade de Lisboa; and a PhD in Musicology (Ethnomusicology) from the Universidade Nova de Lisboa.

He studied with Mick Goodrick, George Garzone, Ed Tomassi, Ken Pullig, Wayne Krantz, Ken Cervenka, Chris Washburne and Salwa Castelo-Branco.

He played/recorded with Peter Erskine, David Liebman, Andy Sheppard, Luciana Souza, Norma Winstone, Chris Cheek, Jorge Rossy, Tim Hagans, Aaron Parks, Theo Bleckmann, Guinga, Mônica Salmaso, Jorge Helder (Chico Buarque, Maria Bethânia), Andrew Rathbun, Michael Formanek, Aubrey Johnson, Maria João, Mário Laginha, Eric Ineke, Perico Sambeat, Stephan Astbury, João Paulo Esteves da Silva, Remix Ensemble, Matt Renzi, Jon Irabagon, John Gunther, Mike Del Ferro, André Charlier, Benoît Sourisse, among many others.

He teaches at the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa, Polytechnic University of Lisbon.

He played and participated in conferences and meetings in Austria, Greece, Spain, France, The Netherlands, Germany, U.S.A., Denmark, Italy, Poland, South Africa, Croatia, among other countries, and published articles in journals such as Acta Musicologica of the International Musicological Society, the Jazz Research Journal, or the International Review for The Aesthetics and Sociology of Music. 

​

Scholarships and Awards: 

Berklee College of Music (2000-2002); 

Fundação Luso-Americana Para o Desenvolvimento;

Centro Nacional de Cultura;

Rutgers University - Institute of Jazz Studies - Morroe Berger - Benny Carter Jazz Research Fund; 

Fundação Para a Ciência e Tecnologia;

Polytechnic University of Lisbon (2020) - Excellence Award in Research;

Polytechnic University of Lisbon (2021) - Excellence Award in Artistic Activities;

Polytechnic University of Lisbon (2024) - Excellence Award in Research.

​

Records as a leader and co-leader: 

"Open Letter" Fresh Sound New Talent, 2010; 

"Song Form" TOAP, 2013; 

"Cinema & Dintorny" Fresh Sound Records, 2015.

"Triology" Sintoma Records, 2014; 

"Is Seeing Believing?" Challenge/Daybreak Records, 2016; 

"Radio Orchestra" Sintoma Records, 2016;

"Triplicity" Challenge/Daybreak Records, 2018;

"New West Quartet - East and West" Fresh Sound New Talent, 2019;

"LAB" AsUR Music, 2020;

"Caruma" Inner Circle Music/AsUR, 2020.

"Turn Out The Stars: The Music of Bill Evans", Challenge Records, 2021;

"Dança do Pólen", Inner Circle Music/AsUR, 2021;

"Momentum", Inner Circle Music/AsUR, 2022;

"Gestures", Inner Circle Music/AsUR, 2022;

"Lisbon Sunrise", AsUR, 2022; 

"Unmute", Inner Circle Music/AsUR, 2023;

"Tone Stories", Fresh Sound Records, 2024;

"Songs of Longing", Fresh Sound Records, 2025.

​

Books: 

Pinheiro, Ricardo; Caires, Carlos e Neto, Tiago (Eds.). 2024. Música, Performance e Contexto: Criação e Investigação Artística. Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa.

Pinheiro, Ricardo. 2013. Perpetuating the Music: Entrevistas e Reflexões Sobre Jam Sessions. Porto: Papiro Editora (ISBN: 978-989-636-697-1); 

Pinheiro, Ricardo. 2012. Jazz Fora de Horas: Jam Sessions em Nova Iorque. Lisboa: Universidade Lusíada Editora (ISBN: 978-989-640-133-7).