Maria João began her musical studies at Artave, going on to complete her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Violin (Teaching) at ESML, where she studied with Aníbal Lima and Bin Chao, and chamber music with Paul Wakabayashi and Irene Lima. She furthered her training at Codarts in Rotterdam with Olga Martinova, and attended masterclasses with leading Portuguese and international violinists.
In 2008, she was invited by the Latin American Academy “El Sistema” in Venezuela to take part in a masterclass in Mérida, where she performed as a soloist with pianist Kyoungim Kim. She later joined the Camerata Vianna da Motta, performing as a soloist at the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos.
She has worked with a number of orchestras and ensembles, including the Orquestra do Teatro Nacional de São Carlos, the Gulbenkian Orchestra, the Portuguese Chamber Orchestra and the ensemble La Nave, among others. She has also performed with artists such as Rodrigo Leão, Mariza, Sérgio Godinho and Michael Bublé, among many others.
She taught at the École d’Art Musical in Paris. She is currently a violinist and teacher at OCCO/Conservatório de Música de Cascais and in the Orquestra Geração project. She is President of the Achillea Association and violinist with the Achillea Quartet.