BIOGRAPHY

Brazilian pianist, composer and educator, Eloá Gonçalves holds a Master’s degree in Jazz Piano from the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Graz (KUG), Austria, where she studied under German pianist Olaf Polziehn´s guidance and graduated with the distinction of outstanding performance. She also holds both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Popular Music from UNICAMP (State University of Campinas), Brazil.

Her debut album as a bandleader and composer, “CASA”, recorded with her trio (Eloá Gonçalves Trio) and released by the Austrian label Alessa Records, was highly praised by specialized critics in prestigious magazines such as DownBeat (USA), Kulturní Magazín (Czech Republic), Jazz’Halo (Belgium), and Concerto (Austria). It was also featured and praised by major media outlets including ORF Radio (Austria), Jazz FM London (UK), Radio Steiermark (Austria), and Jazz Brasil (Rádio MEC, Brazil).

Her second album, “SOBRE O QUE MOVE AS COISAS”, also released by Alessa Records, was recorded by her trio with guest appearances by French cellist and singer Mathilde Vendramin and German trumpeter and composer Jakob Helling.

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In Brazil, the album has been presented in a quintet format, featuring some of the most renowned musicians from the São Paulo jazz scene, such as Tatiana Parra (voice), Daniel D’Alcântara (flugelhorn), Paulinho Vicente (drums), and Iury Batista (double bass).

She is also a member of the trio Experience of the North, with whom she recorded the EP "FIRST JOURNEY" (independent, 2019), influenced by Nordic jazz, in collaboration with Danish drummer Chris Falkenberg and Austrian bassist Tobias Steinrück. With this trio, she toured Denmark in 2024, performing in cities such as Sønderborg, Ribe, Aarhus, and Fredericia.

As a sidewoman, she moves fluidly between the jazz and pop music scenes. 
She has worked as pianist for singer-songwriter Sandy since the beginning of Sandy’s solo career (2010), recording all of her albums and touring on all national and international tours. Alongside the artist, she has performed in concerts and television recordings with artists such as Lenine, Gilberto Gil, Thiago Iorc, Thiaguinho, Iza, Maria Gadú, Vitor Kley, Anavitória, Outro Eu, Luan Santana, Paula Toller, Ivete Sangalo, Liniker, Vanessa da Mata, and Ana Castela.

In the jazz and instrumental music scene, in addition to her work as a bandleader with her trio and quintet, she has performed and/or recorded with prominent artists including guitarist and singer Badi Assad; Marshall Gilkes (New York); Luis Bonilla (New York); Nailor Azevedo (“Proveta”); Ivan Vilela; Daniel Barry (USA); Marcelo Martins; Joe Fiedler (USA); Vine St. Horns & Brad Cole (Phil Collins, USA); Kaya Meller Quartet (Poland); Iñaki Askunze (Spain); Jaka Arh Triptych (Slovenia); Cristina Miguel Martínez (Spain); Mario Campos and Coletivo Orquestral; Rafael de Lima Quartet; the UNICAMP Symphony Orchestra; the Indaiatuba Symphony Orchestra; and the KUG JAZZ ORCHESTRA (Austria).
She was also a member, arranger, and composer of the groups Algaravia (two albums released) and Trio Matiz, where she began signing her own compositions (finalist of the 2016 MIMO Award).

Also as a sidewoman, she has performed in major concert halls such as the Berlin Philharmonie, together with the São Paulo Big Band, at the opening of the prestigious MusikFest Berlin in 2024. With the same big band, she has also appeared intermittently in the “Encontros Históricos” concert series at the renowned Sala São Paulo, performing alongside artists such as Ivan Lins, Ed Motta, Guilherme Arantes, Criolo, Luciana Mello, Juçara Marçal, Marcelo D2, and Gustavo Spínola.

Within the big band circuit, she also performed as a sidewoman with the Square Big Band, formed by the big festival The Town (São Paulo) in 2025, appearing alongside artists such as Alaíde Costa & Claudette Soares, Tony Gordon, Clariana, Amanda Maria, and Annalu & Ricardo Arantes.

She has twice appeared as a soloist with the UNICAMP Symphony Orchestra (2015 and 2017) and with the Indaiatuba Symphony Orchestra (2016), performing with Trio Matiz and Weber Marely. In these concerts, she also presented some of her own works and arrangements for quartet and orchestra.

In 2016, she was a finalist of the MIMO Instrumental Award with Trio Matiz. She was also selected to participate in international events such as the Hudson Jazz Workshop (2012, Hudson, NY, USA) and the Keep an Eye Summer Jazz Workshop (2017, Amsterdam, Netherlands), organized by the Conservatorium van Amsterdam in partnership with the Manhattan School of Music (New York, USA).

Leading her trio in Brazil, she has performed at jazz clubs and festivals such as the Joinville Piano Festival 2025, Jazz a la Calle 2025 (Uruguay), Blue Note São Paulo, Jazz B, SESC Avenida Paulista, SESC São José dos Campos, SESC Piracicaba, and the Abriu pro Jazz Festival. In 2017, she was invited to inaugurate the partnership between the renowned SAVASSI Festival (Belo Horizonte) and the Collective Women Creating Music, performing with her trio on the “Women Creating Music” stage.

With her quintet, she took part in the prestigious Instrumental SESC Brasil in 2025, and also performed at the Tiradentes Festival, as well as at jazz clubs such as Blue Note and Jazz B in São Paulo.

In Europe, she has performed in Austria, Croatia, Slovenia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Denmark, and Germany, appearing at festivals and jazz clubs such as the renowned Unterfahrt Jazz Club (Munich), Jazz Dock Prague (Czech Republic), Jazzkeller Frankfurt (Germany), Regensburg Jazz Club (Germany), Jazzwerkstatt Graz 2019, Blue Note Dresden, Tube’s, Warsaw Summer Jazz Festival 2019 (Poland), All That Jazz Art Festival Malinska 2019 (Croatia), Graz Jazz Nacht, Kranj Jazz Camp (Slovenia), Steyr Jazz Festival 2020 (Austria), Jazz im Generalihof Festival 2021, and Austrian Soundcheck Festival 2021 (Graz).

In September 2020, her trio was selected as a finalist of the Central European Jazz Showcase, an event held in partnership with the renowned JazzFest Brno (Czech Republic).

As an educator, she was invited to be an artist-in-residence at Brandon University (Brandon, Canada) in 2025, where she taught masterclasses and courses and performed two concerts with guitarist and professor Diogo Peixoto as part of the Brandon Chambers Players. 
She has also taught masterclasses and workshops at universities and festivals such as the Campos do Jordão Summer Festival (São Paulo, 2023), Jazz a la Calle (Uruguay, 2025), UNILA (Federal University for Latin American Integration, Foz do Iguaçu, 2022), and the Frost School of Music (Miami, USA, 2012), through an exchange program supported by the Ministry of Culture in Brazil.