I began playing the violin when I was just 5 years old. I am from a very small town in the south of Portugal and there was not much to do around. My dad wanted my sister and I to have a different hobby in our lives and so he took us to the Academia de Música de Lagos to start learning music. I did not really know what to pick, so my father picked out the violin for me.
I joined the Jovem Orquestra Portuguesa when I was 16 years old and being part of that youth orchestra made me fall in love with playing in ensembles. As a teenager, I was quite shy, and music became a gateway to express myself more easily. I was part of this orchestra for four years and one of the most amazing memories I have is from our concert in the Konzerthaus Berlin, in 2018, where we performed Weber’s Der Freischütz Overture from memory. The reaction from the audience and the overall environment in that venue was something I had never felt before, it was just absolutely incredible. From then, I decided I wanted to play in an orchestra professionally.
I did my undergraduate course at the Royal Welsh College and moved to London in 2020 for my postgraduate, with support from the Musician’s Company and the Countess of Munster Trust. As I arrived in London, I began auditioning for vacancies in different places and freelancing as much as I could, and I have currently got a trial with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales for tutti first violin.
In my free time, I like to play video games and do sports, mainly squash. I trained in table tennis for many years before moving to the UK, and one of my goals is to join a club.
Royal Academy of Music
London, UK
Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama
Cardiff, UK
Definitely Sibelius’ 'Violin Concerto'. I have many fond memories of listening to it when I was younger that it just teleports me to a different place.
If you weren’t a musician, what would you be?
I would try to become a chef. During the lockdowns, I began dedicating my time to cooking and I am slowly getting better!