Marco Pereira, born in Saõ Paulo, studied with Isaías Sávio and obtained his Master’s Degree from the Sorbonne, Paris, where his thesis was on Heitor Villa-Lobos and His Work for Guitar. He teaches harmony, composition, arranging and improvisation at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). As well as being a renowned teacher, he is also a recitalist who has made many recordings and written a variety of instructional publications.
He has been awarded prizes in various international guitar competitions such as the Concurso Internacional Andrés Segovia (Palma de Mallorca) and Certamen Internacional de Guitarra Francisco Tárrega (Valencia). In Brazil he received Sharp Awards for Best Soloist and Best Album of the Year (1994).