For a brief period Hélder Gonçalves was a jazz musician, playing keyboards in a band.
He later graduated in Composition from the Lisbon Superior School of Music, where he studied with Christopher Bochmann, António de Sousa Dias and António Pinho Vargas among others.

Hélder Gonçalves took a post-graduation in Educational Technologies at the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences of the University of Lisbon.
He attended several composition courses and workshops at the Música Viva Festival, namely with Emmanuel Nunes, Jean-Claude Risset and Simon Emmerson.

At present, Hélder is following a PhD Programme at the Musical Sciences Department of the New University of Lisbon.

He has written several original pieces and arrangements for different ensembles, some of which include electroacoustics. The pieces Cabrália and Polis a Crescer have been edited in CD. He was the musical director of the multimedia shows Cabrália, 16º Sul 39º Oeste and the theatre plays Mahagonny Singspiel and A História de Jason in collaboration with the Beiras Theatre Company.

Hélder teaches Analysis and Composition Techniques, Acoustics and Computer Music at the Castelo Branco Conservatory and the Fundão Music and Dance Academy. He is also the organizer of the Finale Course (score edition) followed in several music schools.

(written by Portuguese Music Information Centre)