António Lourenço Menezes

António Lourenço Menezes

Countertenor
António Lourenço Menezes is one of the most active countertenors on the Portuguese music scene, also working as an artistic director, conductor, and teacher. In addition to performing with several national ensembles, the projects he leads are characterised by audience engagement and education, along with an innovative approach aimed at revitalising Portugal’s classical music landscape. With an expressive voice and refined technique, António Lourenço captivates audiences with emotionally charged performances that explore the depth and richness of the Baroque repertoire, contributing to the rediscovery of lesser-known Portuguese works.

As a soloist, he has recently appeared in the premiere of Pássaros de Lagoa by Teresa Gentil with the Orquestra Barroca d’Aquém-Mar, as well as in works by Handel, Vivaldi, Bach, and Telemann, collaborating with ensembles such as the Coro de Amigos do Conservatório Nacional and the Orquestra Barroca d’Aquém-Mar under the direction of conductors including Pedro Castro, Luís Lopes Cardoso, and Sigiswald Kuijken. In the operatic repertoire, his notable roles include Hansel (Hansel und Gretel, Humperdinck), Giulio Cesare (Giulio Cesare in Egitto, Handel), Spirit (Dido and Aeneas, Purcell), and the title role in O Principezinho by Jorge Salgueiro.
He is an active member of several Portuguese historically informed performance ensembles, working as a singer, musical director, and researcher, and regularly participates in music festivals across Portugal. He has collaborated, among others, with Avres Serva, Flores de Mvsica, and Ludovice Ensemble in projects dedicated to Mozart, Bach, and Portuguese sacred repertoire.

António Lourenço Menezes holds a degree in Choral Conducting and Musical Training from the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa and studied at the Zoltán Kodály Pedagogical Institute in Hungary through the Erasmus programme. He completed the Secondary Vocal Course at the Escola Artística de Música do Conservatório Nacional with top marks and began his musical studies at the Conservatório de Música Jaime Chavinha in Minde, where he completed the secondary saxophone course.

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