Pedro Pacheco dos Santos was born in Lisbon in 1966 and began studying violin at the age of five with his father. He attended the Academia de Música de Santa Cecília, studying under Vasco Barbosa and Alberto Nunes, teachers with whom he would continue his education until joining the Conservatório Nacional de Lisboa.

He was a founding member of two chamber orchestras and a member of the Orquestra Sinfónica Juvenil, with which he performed numerous solo concerts. During this period, he attended advanced courses with Tibor Varga, Alberto Lisy and Gerardo Ribeiro.

He completed the Advanced Violin Course at the Conservatório Nacional in 1984, and the same year began an International Relations Course at the Instituto Superior de Ciências Sociais e Políticas de Lisboa. He studied in Paris with Veda Reynolds for four years, on scholarships from both the Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, and received support from the Secretary of State for Culture as well. During this period, he gave several recitals in Belgium, England and France.

He has been a member of the Gulbenkian Orchestra since 1990 and has performed as soloist on several occasions. He also plays with chamber music ensembles, has performed as a soloist at the Algarve, Sintra and Leiria music festivals and given several recitals in the Azores. He is a violin teacher at the Academia de Música de Santa Cecília.