I was raised in a samba school in the countryside of São Paulo state. At age 11, I saw a piano for the first time and fell in love with it. Since my first music lesson I improvised, composed and played the music of others. But as I went to study in renowned music institutions in Brazil and abroad, I was faced with a lack of representation of women composers in music history books and classes, and in concert programs. I also felt that classical music training did allow space to develop one's creativity. So, I felt the need to engage in other musical practices such as jazz, and Brazilian popular and instrumental music. While I was building a solid career as a concert pianist and chamber musician, I was also composing for and performing with jazz and Brazilian popular music groups. I became quite renowned as a contemporary music pianist, having premiered hundreds of new works in Brazil and the US, several of them dedicated to me. I also recorded 17 CDs mostly dedicated to new music both as soloist and chamber musician. As an interpreter of the common practice repertoire, I have been featured as soloist by many Brazilian orchestras, and performed solo and chamber recitals in Europe, South, Central, and North America. I became a composer to integrate my diverse musical experiences, creating an unique style that does not recognize the frontiers between classical and popular music. I hold a Master's, a Performer's Certificate and a DMA from the Eastman School of Music.