Biography .
Carlos Damas, violin.
An outstanding Portuguese violinist with a brilliant international career, Carlos Damas is considered by ‘Gramophone’ and ‘The Strad’ as one of the best interpreters of Fritz Kreisler’s works.
International critics have compared him to world-acclaimed violinists such as Thomas Zehetmair, Gidon Kremer, and Henryk Szeryng.
He attended the Conservatorio de Coimbra at the age of three, where he first got acquainted with the world of sounds.
He debuted as a soloist with the now dismantled Orquestra da Radio Difusao Portuguesa conducted by maestro Silva Pereira.
He moved to Paris where he attended the Conservatoire. He studied under Jacqueline Lefèvre and maestro Ivry Gitlis. During his Paris period, he met regularly with Yehudi Menuhin, who provided guidance in his career as an artist and violinist.
He was invited by the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna, to participate in the Semmering Festival. Also in Austria, he worked with violinist Dora Schwarzberg and pianist Yuri Smirnov. He also participated in masterclasses directed by violinist Shlomo Mintz.
He gave the Parisian premiere of the Violin Concerto written by Portuguese composer Luís de Freitas Branco. He has premiered works by modern composers such as Jacques Chayllé, Gracia Finzi, Michel Merlet, Jean Jacques Werner, Jacques Bondon and Sérgio Azevedo.
Carlos Damas has recorded extensively, placing a clear emphasis on the dissemination of the repertoire written by Portuguese composers. His recordings have been released by Naxos, Brilliant Classics, Et’cetera and Dux.
His album Fritz Kreisler was considered by "The Strad" magazine as one of the best recordings of this composer.
Has played as soloist all over Europe, North America and Asia with orchestras such as the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, Jeune Philharmonie (Val de Marne-Paris), Winnipeg Symphony, North Dakota International Music Camp Orchestra, St. Luke's Orchestra, Camerata de St. Severin (Paris), Orchestre Internationale de La Cité (Paris), Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra (China), Macao Orchestra, Mission Chamber Orchestra (San José, California) and the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra.
Carlos Damas has performed in prestigious concert halls, such as the Shangai Oriental Arts Center (SHOAC), Salle Gaveau and Salle Cortot (Paris), UNESCO Grand Auditorium, Centro Cultural de Belém and Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (Portugal), Lee Hysan Concert Hall in Hong-Kong, D. Pedro V Theater (Macau), Lincoln Center (USA), Oriental Art Center (Shanghai) and Ville Louvigy (Philharmonique du Luxembourg).
Carlos Damas has a Doctor degree in Psychology and Education of Music and is teacher at Évora University, Portugal.
In addition to his activity as concert violinist, Carlos Damas is currently a researcher at the Centro de Estudos e Estética Musical at the Universidade Nova de Lisboa, and served with the Board of ANSO/Metropolitana between 2013 and 2016.
Carlos Damas plays a valuable Italian violin by G. B. Gabrielli, ex "Isham", dated circa 1767, donated by an American fan.