Biography
Marco Sousa was born in Porto, Portugal, and began playing the clarinet at the age of six with his father. He started his studies at the music school of Banda Musical de Melres, and later at the Conservatório de Música do Porto with teachers Iva Barbosa and Ricardo Alves. He graduated from the University of Aveiro in the class of professor Luís Carvalho. He is currently attending a Master's in Performance at the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano (Switzerland) in the class of the renowned professor François Benda. Throughout his career, he has received several awards, including: 1st prize 'Concurso nacional jovens Clarinetistas ClarMeet21'; 3rd prize 'Città di Fano International Music Competition 2022', Italy; 1st prize 'Concurso Luso-Espanhol de Fafe (2012)'; 3rd prize 'Prémio Frederico Freitas/UA (2018)'; semifinalist 'Concurso Internacional Saverio Mercadante, Italy (2020)', semifinalist 'Cluj International Music Competition', Romania (2021) and semifinalist 'Prix Credit Suisse Jeunes Solistes 2022', Switzerland. He has attended masterclasses with renowned clarinetists such as: Arno Piters, Julien Hervé, Corrado Giuffredi, Alain Damiens, Enrique Pérez Piquer, António Saiote, Sauro Berti, Eddy Vanoosthuyse, Nuno Pinto, Jordi Pons, Paolo Beltramini, among others. He regularly collaborates with the Orquestra FIlarmonia das Beiras, United Soloists Orchestra, Schweizer Jugend-Sinfonie Orchester, Orchestra del Teatro Olimpico di Vicenza, Banda Sinfónica Portuguesa, Ticino Musica Opera Studio, Orquestra Sinfónica do Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana, Ensemble 900Presente, among others.