Sérgio Fernandes Pires

Sérgio Fernandes Pires is one of the most promising and artistically active clarinetists of his generation.
He is a winner of more than a dozen prizes at international competitions. Among the competitions, in which he has successfully participated, are the “Gheorghe Dima International Clarinet Competition” (First Prize, 2017), Czech ClarinetArt (3rd Prize, 2013), “Concorso Internazionale Marco Fiorindo” (First Prize, 2012), “IV Terras de La-Salette” (First Prize, 2011), “Paços Premium” (First Prize, 2008) and the “I Terras de la-Sallete” (First Prize, 2008).
As soloist, Sérgio Pires has performed with renowned orchestras as Bremen Philharmonic (Germany), Chamber Orchestra Basel (Switzerland), Musikkollegium Winterthur, Orchestra Filarmonicii de Stat Transilvania, Basel Symphonic Orchestra, Silesian Chamber Orchestra (Poland) and Argovia Philarmonic, playing pieces by W. Mozart, J. Stamitz, C. Weber, G. Rossini, K. Penderecki, F. Danzi, and C. Nielsen.
Alongside his activities as a soloist, he is the solo clarinet player with the Winterthur MusikKollegium (Switzerland), since 2016, and is currently on Trial for the Principal Clarinet position at the London Symphony Orchestra.
Has recorded 5 CDs, for the Swedish Label BIS (Collaboration with the clarinetist Michael Collins), for the German Label MDG (Poulenc CD with the Swiss "Ensemble Confoederatio"), for the German Label "Genuin" (Carter CD, together with Heinz Holliger, Felix Renggli, François Benda, Sarah Wegener...), for the Spanish Label "Orpheus" (Schumann CD), and most recently his Solo Album for the German Label Avi (French Music for Clarinet and Piano), that received excellent feedbacks from different music magazines around the world.
As a highly requested chamber musician Sérgio Pires performed with famous artists like Heinz Holliger, Emmanuel Pahud, Radovan Vlatkovic, Michael Collins, Valentin Erben, Felix Renggli, Emmanuel Ceysson, Krzysztof Chorzelski, and many others.
Sérgio Pires meanwhile took part in some of the most important and acclaimed classical music festivals in the world, such as “European Music Campus” (Austria), “Kultursommer Nordhessen” (Germany), BBC Proms (England), Schleswig-Holstein Festival (Germany), “Isang-Yun Festival” (South-Korea), “East Neuk Festival” (Scotland) and “Festival Bozen” (Italy).
As an orchestral player, Pires has had, since very young age, a very active activity, being accepted at the age of 18 in 3 of the most important young orchestras in the world, the European Union Youth Orchestra, Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester and Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra. Later on, was invited to play with different orchestras in Europe and around the wolrd, such as: Portuguese Chamber Orchestra (Portugal), Neojiba Orchestra (Brazil), Sinfonie Orchester Basel (Switzerland), Kammerorchester Basel (Switzerland), Tonkünstler Orchester (Austria), Cameratta Zürich (Switzerland), and has shared the stage with many prestigious soloists, such as Vilde Frang, Mischa Maisky, Fazil Say, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Maxim Vengerov, András Schiff, Emmanuel Pahud, Albrecht Mayer, Jan Lisiecki, Clemens Hagen, Martin Grubinger, Christoph Eschenbach, Maté Szucs, Klaus Florian Vogt, Lang-Lang, René Pape.
The young clarinetist, born in 1995, started his musical studies at the age of 8. In 2007 he went to the „Academia de Música Valentim Moreira de Sá“, in Guimarães, where he studied until 2013 with Vitor Matos.
 After that, Pires moved to Basel, where he studied with François Benda at the „Hochschule für Musik der Stadt Basel“, finishing his Master „Performance-Solist“ with the highest distinction, in 2018.

Since 2016, he is a Henry Selmer Artist (Playing a Set of “Recital” Clarinets) and Silverstein Works Artist (Playing on Cryo 4 Ligature).
Sérgio Pires is a scholar of the Mozartgesellschaft Dortmund (Germany).