Rodrigo Pinheiro

Recognized as one of the most prominent musicians and pianists on the Portuguese free improvised, experimental, and Free Jazz scenes, Rodrigo Pinheiro embodies a versatile approach to music, seamlessly navigating through different genres and idioms. His career, spanning over two decades, is marked by contributions to the field of free improvisation, including his role in RED trio. His recordings have been acclaimed as some of the year's best jazz albums by publications such as The Wire, Público, New York City Jazz Record, and Jazz.pt.

At the age of five, he began studying at the local conservatory in Covilhã, Portugal, later focusing on improvisation under the guidance of mentors such as Carlos Zíngaro, Peter Kowald, Gunther Muller, Nuno Rebelo, and Patrick Brennan. Beyond performance, his work spans composing for film and theater. He has collaborated with many musicians, including internationally recognized artists such as John Butcher, Axel Dörner, Mattias Ståhl, Nate Wooley, Joe McPhee, Thomas Lehn, Keir Neuringer, Lotte Anker, and Peter Evans. His performances have taken him across Portugal, the USA, Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Russia, Lithuania, Poland, Serbia, Romania, and Norway.

Current projects include the quintet hyper.object, the trio Linae, the trio Cloud at Rest, and a duo with Pedro Carneiro, alongside his ongoing solo work. In 2022, he founded Phonogram Unit, a Lisbon-based label dedicated to promoting experimental, improvised, and electro-acoustic music.