Maurício Carrilho is an important name in contemporary choro. He has worked as an arranger and/or musician for artists like Elizeth Cardoso, Nara Leão, Altamiro Carrilho, Francis Hime, Chico Buarque, Paulinho da Viola, Teca Calazans, and Chiquinho do Acordeon. He was also the partner of poet Paulo César Pinheiro in more than 40 songs and won two Sharp prizes in 1995 with the CD O Trio (with Paulo Sérgio Santos and Pedro Amorim) for Best Group and Best Instrumental Album. Altamiro Carrilho's nephew and Álvaro Carrilho's son, Maurício Carrilho grew up in a musical family, and, at age nine, began to take classes with Dino Sete Cordas. One year later he started to study with Meira, his most important influence. In 1976, he met the brothers Luciana Rabello and Raphael Rabello at the North Side choro redoubt Sovaco de Cobra. In the next year, the three of them and Celsinho do Pandeiro formed the Os Carioquinhas choro group, recording an album, when Carrilho left medical school and became a professional. In 1979, the Carioquinhas were invited by Joel Nascimento to back him in the performance of Radamés Gnattali's "Retratos." With the addition of Galo Preto's violonista (acoustic guitarist) Luiz Otávio, the Camerata Carioca were formed, a group who renovated the choro genre through the incorporation of chamber music language; they recorded three albums and received several awards. In 1978, Carrilho wrote his earliest arrangements, invited by Nara Leão to arrange her entire album with Roberto Menescal. As a composer, Carrilho started in 1967, writing the A part of a maxixe that Altamiro Carrilho finished and recorded. After 1989, when he became friends with the poet Paulo César Pinheiro, he wrote 40 compositions with him. In 1999, together with Luciana Rabello and João Carino, he founded Acari Records, a recording company specializing in choro. ~ Alvaro Neder