Luís Cardoso

Luís dos Santos Cardoso is an award-winning composer, arranger, conductor and artistic director. His catalogue includes more than 150 original works and around 1000 arrangements, performed by ensembles and soloists across Europe, the United States and Japan. His music is strongly connected to the world of wind music, an area in which he also develops research, lectures and participates in academic and artistic juries.

As a conductor and artistic director, he collaborates with leading performers and ensembles, and currently serves as Artistic Director of Orquestra Filarmónica 12 de Abril, developing symphonic and cross-genre projects with prominent Portuguese artists.

He holds a PhD in Music (2014) and a Master’s in Music (2010) from the University of Aveiro, following earlier studies in Musicology at the University of Coimbra and NOVA University of Lisbon. He has taught in several higher-education institutions and maintains a strong connection to specialized arts education as Vice-Pedagogical Director of Escola de Artes da Bairrada.

Achievements — Winner of the Harvey Phillips Award for Excellence in Composition (ITEA, 2016 and 2021); Works premiered internationally by renowned soloists and ensembles; Regular guest lecturer in conferences, symposia and professional training programs; Extensive artistic activity as composer, conductor and educator.