Rio native Mauricio Pessoa released his first album in 2007 before moving to New York to study orchestration at Juilliard. He has since recorded several acclaimed solo albums, including his recent "Sha Plays Getz & Pessoa Sings Gilberto," a tribute to the iconic 1964 Getz/Gilberto album that introduced Americans to the seductive sound of bossa nova.

On his original composition “Quando Falas Coração” (When My Heart Speaks), Pessoa sings, “Every time that I’ve smiled / All the tears that I’ve cried / My heart can’t conceal / Neither yes nor no / All the love that I loved.”