Sérgio Fernandes Pires

Sérgio Fernandes Pires, born on 1st September 1995, is one of the most promising and artistically active clarinetists of his generation, being winner of several international competitions, performing many solo and chamber music concerts internationally, being 1st Clarinet at the Musikkollegium Winterthur Orchestra, since 2016 and since 2019, teaching at the Minho University, Portugal.

He started his musical studies at the age of 8, and in 2007 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 at the "Hochschule für Musik der Stadt Basel", with François Benda, until 2018, finishing his Master Performance-Solist with the highest distinction (6 point out of 6).

Was laureate of more than a dozen competitions, some of the most important being “Paços Premium” (2008), "I Terras de la-Sallete” (2008), “IV Terras de La-Salette” (2011), "Concorso Internazionale Marco Fiorindo" (2012), Czech ClarinetArt (2013), "Gheorghe Dima International Clarinet Competition" (2017).

His musical activities are divided between orchestra, Chamber Music and Solo performances.

As Soloist, Sérgio Pires has performed with Kammerorchester Basel, Musikkollegium Winterthur, Orchester vom See, Orchestra Filarmonicii de Stat Transilvania, Sinfonie Orchester Basel, Schlesisches Kammerorchester, and Argovia Philarmonic, playing pieces by W. Mozart, J. Stamitz, C. Weber, G. Rossini, K. Penderecki, F. Danzi, and C. Nielsen. In Chamber Music Pires presented himself playing beside Krzysztof Chorzelski, Valentin Erben, Heinz Holliger, Felix Renggli, Daniel Haefliger, Jürg Dahler, Sergio Azzolini, Sarah Wegener, Emmanuel Abbuehl, among many others.

Pires 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 a 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, Heinz Holliger, Maxim Vengerov, András Schiff, Emmanuel Pahud, Albrecht Mayer, Jan Lisiecki, Clemens Hagen, Martin Grubinger, Erik Schumann, Michaela Kaune, Christoph Eschenbach, Maté Szucs, Klaus Florian Vogt, Lang-Lang, René Pape. 

Is since 2016, Henri SELMER Paris Artist playing a set of 'Recital' clarinets.

Photo credits: Natalia Michalec OHNE