Rafael Pacheco

Rafael Pacheco was born on 3 February 2000 in the city of Portimão.
He began learning the Fado guitar at the “Boa Esperança” Fado school in 2012, largely encouraged by his grandmother.
Unlike today, he initially had no taste for the genre: he went to the school simply to discover and learn the instrument. However, his interest grew as he listened to Fado singers and the sound of the Portuguese guitar.
From then on, he became a regular presence at the Fado nights held at the association: initially listening and, later, playing alongside the musicians.
In 2013, he landed his first professional gigs as an instrumentalist, filling in for his teachers from the fado school.
No ano letivo de 2015/16 começou a estudar guitarra clássica no curso profissional de instrumentista de cordas e teclas da Escola da Bemposta, em Portimāo.
Alongside this, he began teaching himself the Portuguese guitar.
He later went on to study under master Custódio Castelo.
Starting in 2018, he began frequenting Lisbon’s fado nights, introduced to the scene by Ângelo Freire.

Since then, he has performed alongside leading fado artists such as Maria da Fé, Lenita Gentil, Gonçalo Salgueiro, and António Rocha. He has played at the most iconic fado houses—including O Faia, Clube de Fado, Adega Machado, Café Luso, and Mesa de Frades—and has graced major stages both in Portugal and abroad.
É um dos nomes promissores da nova geração de guitarristas, vencedor do prémio Novos talentos AGEAS – Casa da Música 2023 (primeiro e único instrumentista de Guitarra Portuguesa a ser premiado).
He is currently a resident musician at Sr. Vinho.