Helga Ancona lived in Europe several times and in Paris she met Miúcha (Heloisa Buarque de Holanda), sister of Chico Buarque. They traveled together with musician Dudu through Greece. On their return, Miúcha met João Gilberto in Paris and shortly thereafter they got married.
In 1967, Helga traveled for the first time to New York with a group of friends, one of whom knew her husband, George Ancona, a photographer. He was recently divorced and she ended up staying in NY where they got married. In the meantime, Miúcha and João Gilberto had moved to New Jersey. Helga spent many nights at their house, eating the food João prepared and then listening to him sing and play the guitar into the early morning. At that time, little 
Bebel Gilberto was about two years old.
In New York, Helga worked for a while as a photographer and journalist, during which she ended up photographing Eumir Deodato, João Gilberto, and several visual artists.
She then had 3 children and her life changed.
In 1989 they moved to Santa Fe, NM. She started listening to the public radio station in Santa Fe: KSFR 101.1 FM where she met a Venezuelan DJ named Ricardo Perez who hosted the program “Somos Son” on that station.
Helga told him that she had a lot of Brazilian music with her and he invited her to share her music on his program. They ended up having a great rapport which resulted in Helga becoming a DJ without ever having learned.
For many years, they did the program together, but then he ended up leaving the radio and Helga has been hosting the program alone for the last 16 years, airing for 3 hours every Friday from 9 AM to noon. The program is called “Jazz etcetera”.
Helga’s son, Pablo, DJ Pablo 77, lives in Brooklyn and when he goes to Santa Fe, he and his mother present the programs together.