Orlando brings a wealth of influences not only from his country of Brazil as a guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and arranger, but from his classical background as well. A native of Lavras, in the state of Minas Gerais, Orlando has been a bandleader since the age of 12. As a child growing up in Brazil he studied classical piano and guitar; later he moved to Rio de Janeiro, where he studied at the Villa-Lôbos Institute and pursued private classical guitar studies.