Awarded 2nd Prize at the 73rd Geneva Competition in 2018, following his 1st Prize at the 2017 International Clarinet Competition in Ghent, Vitor Fernandes, at the age of 28, is recognized as one of the leading clarinetists of his generation.
Vitor began his musical studies at the age of 7, as part of a small wind band in his hometown in Portugal—a practice that was, and still is, very common in the country. Since then, he has won more than a dozen prizes in national and international competitions around the world.
In 2019, Vitor won the audition for the position of Principal Clarinet in the London Symphony Orchestra. He is currently focused on a solo career, having performed both as a soloist and in various chamber music groups in cities such as Paris, London, Berlin, Geneva, Zurich, Venice, Seoul, Hong Kong, Taipei, Singapore, Beijing, Dubai, Ljubljana, Sofia, and more.
Highlights include a 2019 Asia tour with pianist Dmitry Shishkin at the National Concert Hall in Taipei, as well as debuts in Hong Kong and Singapore, and performances of the Mozart and Brahms Quintets at the Queen Elizabeth Music Chapel in 2022.
Passionate about teaching, Vitor has been a guest professor at the National Taipei University of the Arts, National Taiwan University of Education, the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, the School of the Arts Singapore, and has taught at various festivals in Portugal, Poland, and the Netherlands.
He has performed as a soloist with the Brussels Philharmonic, Sofia Philharmonic, Kammerorchester Basel, L’Orchestre de Chambre de Genève, Győr Symphony Orchestra, The Royal Symphonic Band of the Belgian Guides, Polish Sinfonia Iuventus Orchestra, The United Nations Orchestra, among others, playing concertos ranging from Mozart and Spohr to Tomasi and Nielsen.
He has also performed as a guest member with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, SWR Symphony Orchestra Stuttgart, and the Bergen Philharmonic.
Vitor has recorded for Portuguese National Radio and Television, Radio Télévision Suisse, France Musique, Bartók Radio Hungary, and Slovenian National Radio.
In 2018, after completing his master’s degree at the Haute École de Musique de Genève, he was awarded the Sih-Woo Cardinaux-Chang Prize. In 2020, he completed the Diplôme de Soliste with distinction and jury honors.
