Born: Apúlia, a small Portuguese coastal town.

Studied: I started playing the cello in a local music school when I was 12 and had Vanessa Pires as my teacher. A few years later I went to a specialist music school (EPABI) to study with Filipe Quaresma and Rogério Peixinho, and in 2008 I moved to London to study with David Strange at the Royal Academy of Music, where I completed my Bachelors and Masters degrees. During my time at RAM, I focused on orchestral playing and chamber music, joining the Artesian Quartet in 2012.

Joined: 2017

Favourite piece of music: It is very difficult to pick a single favourite piece of music, but Schubert’s Quintet in C major D. 956 is the work that has always held a special place in my heart for its lyricism and emotional depth. While it doesn’t follow a specific programme, I feel there is a profound dramatic narrative to this masterpiece, taking any of us though a journey of exploration and transformation that resonates with human experience in all its complexity and beauty.

Favourite ballet to play: Instead of a ballet I’m going to pick a composer – Prokofiev! I really admire how different Romeo and Juliet and Cinderella are, and yet both sound like Prokofiev. Romeo and Juliet is not only a great passionate score, but also has a fantastic cello part that is intense, lyrical and powerful. I enjoy how humorous and whimsical Cinderella is. The cello part plays a very different role in this one that is nevertheless very gratifying to play. The slow waltz at the end of the ballet is to me one of the most profoundly beautiful moments in our repertoire.

Why the cello? The music teacher at school thought I could play the recorder well enough and advised me to go to the local music school to learn an orchestral instrument. Somehow I felt I had a preference for a string instrument. The violin was the obvious choice for me, as I barely knew anything about other instruments and music back then. However the violin was such a popular instrument and there were no more vacancies, so one teacher in that school talked me into learning the cello.

What is special about the cello: It has such a huge range and can therefore play so many different roles with and the ability to quickly shift from one to the other, from bass lines to nice and singing melodies, as well as everything in the middle.

Most challenging non musical thing you have done: Moving countries twice and learning everything new that comes with that - language, culture, bureaucracy, etc., as well as leaving family and friends behind.