Rui Fernandes

Trombone

Participated in the 2015 edition

Rui Fernandes was born in Lanhelas, in the municipality of Caminha. He began his musical studies at the age of eight with the Banda Musical Lanhelense. Later, he studied with José Borges at the Professional School of Music in Viana do Castelo. At age 18, he continued his studies at the Lisbon Higher School of Music with Ismael Santos, and at age 23, he enrolled at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, where he studied with Chris Houlding. Throughout his training, he also attended master classes with some of the world’s most prestigious trombonists, such as Josep Alessi, Ian Bousfield, Don Lucas, Gusztav Hona, and David Bruchez, among others.

Rui Fernandes has collaborated with various chamber music ensembles and performed as a soloist with the Cascais and Oeiras Chamber Orchestra at the Estoril Music Festival. He has collaborated with Portugal’s leading orchestras, including the Porto Symphony Orchestra, the Portuguese Symphony Orchestra, and the Lisbon Metropolitan Orchestra, performing alongside renowned conductors and soloists. As a teacher, he has taught trombone at the Alhandra and Minde Conservatories. From 2008 to 2010, he was a trombonist with the Remix Ensemble at Casa da Música. He has been the second trombone soloist with the Gulbenkian Orchestra since 2010. He is currently also a member of the trombone and tuba group Wild Bones Gang.