Tuniko Goulart was born in 1967 in Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, into a family steeped in music. From an early age his life was bound to sound and rhythm, and by age 6 he was already playing instruments. At just 11 years old he earned professional musician status from the Brazilian Musicians Order, making him one of the youngest to receive such recognition and setting the stage for a lifetime in music.

Early in his career, he toured extensively across Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina, playing with a variety of ensembles and absorbing a broad range of stylistic influences. These formative years on the road taught him the art of comping, ensemble playing and improvisation, grounding his technical ability in the lived experience of performance and collaboration.

Over decades of work, he has collaborated with an extraordinary range of artists across genres and continents. Documented collaborations include Brazilian icons such as Gilberto Gil, Martinho da Vila, Airto Moreira, Flora Purim, Arthur Maia and international figures including Vicente Amigo, Stanley Jordan, Jeff Berlin, Eric Sardinas and Cape Verdean great Cesária Évora.

In the European and jazz/world music scenes Tuniko has partnered with the Edu Miranda Trio (mandolin, guitar, drums) and percussionist Giovani Goulart, and performances with ensembles blending Brazilian and other idioms.

He has performed internationally in jazz‑centric contexts such as collaborations with French oboe virtuoso Jean‑Luc “Oboman” Fillon in the project Aquarela, an ensemble bringing Brazilian choro and folk elements into dialogue with oboe, mandolin and guitar at festivals in France and beyond. Tuniko also appears in connection with Madonna’s Madame X project, reflecting his presence in contemporary world and pop music contexts that intersect with Lisbon’s vibrant scene

Throughout his career, he has been sought after not only as a performer but as an inventive producer and arranger, bringing his broad perspective to studio projects and helping artists evolve their musical ideas from concept to finished recording. His work has bridged continents and traditions, from Brazilian chorinho and samba through Portuguese fado inflexions to contemporary world music sensibilities.

In his own words, “Music is not my work. It is my life.”