Jorge Alves studied at the Instituto Gregoriano de Lisboa and the Lisbon Superior School of Music. He attended various Choral Conducting and Vocal Technique courses in Portugal and abroad, working with José Robert, Edgar Saramago, Lazlo Heltay, Fernando Eldoro, Anton de Beer, Erwin List, Luís Madureira, and Jill Feldmann.

As a tenor, he was a member of the University of Lisbon Choir from 1980 to 1983 and performed as a reinforcement singer in the Choir of the São Carlos National Theatre in several operas between 1984 and 1988, the year he joined the Gulbenkian Choir (1988–2001). From 1993 to 1996, he participated in the "Coro Gregoriano de Lisboa" project, touring Portugal and Japan. In 1998, he was invited to join the male vocal quartet Tetvocal, performing in concerts across Portugal, Brazil, Thailand, and China until 2008.

His choral conducting career began with the Syntagma Musicum chamber choir, which he founded in 1985. With this group, he won first prize in the "New Cultural Talents – Choral Music" competition in 1988, awarded by the Portuguese Secretary of State for Culture. His work as a choral conductor expanded across mainland Portugal and the islands, leading various groups, including: Coro de Câmara Syntagma Musicum (1985–1997), Coro Sinfónico Lisboa Cantat (since 1986), Coro de Câmara Lisboa Cantat (since 2006), Orfeão da Covilhã (1988–92), Grupo Coral de Lagos (1992–1996), Coro da Universidade Católica de Lisboa (1993–2002), Coro do Teatro Nacional de S. Carlos (2001–2004, as assistant conductor), Coral Luísa Todi (2003–07), Coro Vox Cordis, in Ponta Delgada (since 2006, as guest conductor) and Coro da Universidade Técnica de Lisboa/Coro da Universidade de Lisboa (1998 to December 2015). In 2015, he founded CILC (Coro Infantil Lisboa Cantat, a children’s choir) and EVUL (Vocal Ensemble da Universidade de Lisboa) (2015–2016). In 2016, he founded CJULC (Coro Juvenil Lisboa Cantat, a youth choir). Since 2016, he has worked with various choral groups in Luxembourg, notably the Ensemble Vocal Cantica and the Jubilate Musica choir.

He conducted the Portuguese premieres of Misa Cubana by José Maria Vittier and Cantata para un Silencio by Daniel Schvetz, as well as several works by contemporary Portuguese composers.

He has recorded numerous musical radio and television programs for RDP, RTP, and SIC, notably the Câmara Clara program (2008), dedicated to choral music in Portugal, the inaugural concert for the six organs of the Royal Basilica of Mafra, concerts with Orquestra Metropolitana de Lisboa (OML) and Coro Sinfónico Lisboa Cantat (CSLC) featuring Beethoven's Missa Solemnis, Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, and Verdi's Requiem, three editions of the APCL Gala with Orquestra Nacional do Porto (ONP), Orquestra Sinfónica Portuguesa (OSP), the Warsaw Symphony Orchestra, and others.

He recorded six CDs for Numérica Editora, featuring Portuguese choral music, with a special focus on the a cappella choral works of Fernando Lopes-Graça. Additionally, he regularly collaborates on choral workshops for young singers in Portugal and abroad. He has taught Choir and Music Theory at the Covilhã Regional Conservatory, the Évora Professional Music School, and various other educational institutions.