JOÃO PEDRO GONÇALVES

 Born in 2000, João Pedro Gonçalves started playing the cello at the age of 12

with Ana Cláudia Serrão as his mentor, in Lisbon, continuing later with Marco Pereira and Paulo Gaio Lima.

 In recent years, he has had the opportunity to work with several professors, such as Daniel Muller-Schott, Sol Gabetta, Gary Hoffman, Jakob Koranyi, Kyril Zlotnikov, Marc Coppey, Maria de Macedo and Alain Gervreau (baroque cello). He has also had the chance to work with many of the world’s leading conductors, including Lorenzo Viotti, Gustavo Dudamel and Giancarlo Guerrero.

 João is a first prize winner of such competitions as Concurso Capela (2016),

Concurso Nacional de Cordas Vasco Barbosa (2017), Prémio Fundação Inatel (2019), Prémio Jovens Músicos (2021, over 18 category), where he received the award Maestro Silva Pereira – Young Musician of the Year 2020/21 and he was a finalist at the Suggia International Award/Casa da Música (2022). In addition to this, João was awarded the Audience’s Prize at the Schiermonnikoog Festival 2024 and selected for the Soloist’s program of Verbier Festival (July 2024).

 He has performed as a soloist with many orchestras, such as Orquestra

Gulbenkian, Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, Orquestra Sinfónica do

Porto Casa da Música, Young Belgian Strings, Orquestra Metropolitana, Camerata Atlântica, etc.

 Currently studying at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel under the guidance of Gary Hoffman and Jeroen Reuling, and at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels with Jeroen Reuling, João plays on a cello made by Nicolas Lupot from 1804, on loan from the “Fonds de dotation Adelus”.