Portuguese pianist Manuel Guimarães is a member of Variable Geometry Orchestra, and Vitor Rua & The Metaphysical Angels. He has also released a solo album on the Creative Sources imprint.

"I was born in December 1969 in Lisbon. The first contacts I had with the arts began around the age of 5 in the holiday camps of (CRGE) the current EDP, and it was certainly this exhibition until the age of 12 which led me to develop a taste for music and also by the theater that I did in an amateur way but with some cadence during my childhood, my starting point, an awakening in this case for the music that has accompanied me throughout life. Much later I attended 2 training courses at UNL directed to early childhood and preschool with the theoretical basis and practice of Edwin Gordon's Musical Learning Theory (Musical Orientations for children from 0 to 9 years of age / Musical Orientations 1st Childhood and preschool) with teachers Edwin Gordon, Helena Rodrigues, Ana Paula Almeida and António Rocha. Later I developed the (PIS) Project Infante Sonoro - Musical learning for newborns and children of preschool age to put into practice what I had learned, I loved this project. I also attended the electric bass course of EJMA - Ecole de jazz et Musique Actuelle de Lausanne (Switzerland) 1992/1995. I have had some experiences as a monitor in activities related to children and music, various musical activities, and construction of musical instruments from waste. Also in this journey I wrote and played the puppet and marionettes theater piece "A trip of Dream" that toured the Algarve in 1999. I played in several original musical projects such as the IRS band and many others covers bands like, (JAB) that would later start my original band with 11 musicians the project (Adão & Elas). Still in the covers ... I was founder of the group (Zappanoia), project to pay homage to the work of Frank Zappa) with which I played in and out of Portugal doors, I participate in several activities and cultural events such Biennial Chaves / Vigo, Zappanale Music Festival (Germany) just to mention a few.

At the moment I am going through the meanders of the free improvisation music, but I worked last year with the guitarist Fernando Guiomar in his project (TRAPE-ZAPE) nevertheless I am always open for new experiences. I participated several times in (MIA) Encontro de música improvisada de Atouguia da Baleia. the larger event produced in Portugal related to free improvisation music.

Discography: Zappanoia - Portuguese Extraction 2003 (Portugal) / Participations: Miosótis - O Monstro e a sereia 2005 (Portugal) / Paulo Chagas - Songs From the books 2013 (Portugal) / Collecta: ZAPPANALE XIV 2004 (Germany) / ZAPPANALE 14 - Bad Doberan July 2003 (Germany) / You Can not do that In Spanish Anymore Vol.7 2004 (Spain) Videography: Zappanale 2003 Retrospective DVD 2004 (Germany)."

"João Valinho is a percussionist and Visual Artist based in Lisbon, Portugal."