Following his studies at the Escola Superior de Música e Artes do Espetáculo, Porto, and the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Leipzig, João Francisco Távora embarked on an ambitious career as a soloist, ensemble player and musical director.

His first solo album, with music by G. P. Telemann for recorder, is released in April 2025 on Coviello Classics. This debut recording precedes a second solo album containing transcriptions of works by J. S. Bach. Tours with a wide range of ensembles have taken him to Belgium, Brazil, Germany, Finland, Portugal (including the Azores and Madeira) and Spain. Since the 2023/24 season he has performed regularly with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra.

His long-standing passion for recorder consort is documented by a series of albums of Portuguese Renaissance music as a member of the Arte Minima ensemble, notably CDs of music by Francisco de Santa Maria and Vicente Lusitano.

João is the founder and co-artistic director of Musurgia Ensemble, dedicated to the interpretation and dissemination of newly rediscovered music from the 16th to 18th centuries.