Ricardo Peres was born in 1966 in São Paulo, Brazil. A concert pianist by training and a freethinker by nature, Ricardo Peres began piano studies at the age of 7 and launched his concert career at the age of 16 performing Beethoven's piano music on live TV (TV Cultura, Brazil, 1982). The pianist made his debut recording two years later, in 1984, subsequently moving to the USA to continue his music studies. He attended Arizona State University, graduating in 1990 and establishing residence in Canada thereafter. In the following years, he released five more recordings and also performed in several concert series in both North and South America, mostly dedicated to building new audiences and creating greater access to classical music. In addition, he received the Alberta Literacy Award of Merit from the Alberta Association for Adult Literacy (AAAL) in 1993 for his role in supporting literacy in that Canadian Province. Ricardo Peres would later serve as Parliamentary Secretary at the National Congress of Brazil from 2010 to 2012, during which time he endeavored to elaborate cultural policies as well as strategies to fight government corruption. The pianist quit concert appearances in 2012 in order to dedicate his energy to teaching and lecturing, also developing pioneering work in the fields of neuromusicology and electromusic therapy. The Galactic Era of Mankind is his first book.