Panel of Judges 2024

Considerations

1. The panel of judges shall comprise 3 members and chaired by AMPB teacher of instrument in the Competition.

2. For the attribution of the Excellence and Orchestra Prize, the jury will be constituted by the Educational Direction of AMPB (Teachers Alexandra Trindade and Salomé Fonseca), a representative of the AMPB Administrative Direction, the Artistic Director or representative of Paços de Brandão International Music Festival (FIMUV) and a representative of Youth Wind Band and Symphony Orchestra of Santa Maria da Feira.

3. The panel of judges reserves the right to interrupt the performance of each candidate, if said panel deems it appropriate.

4. The panel of judges reserves the right not to award any prize.

5. Decisions by the panel of judges shall be final.

6. In exceptional cases where the candidate is a student of one of the members of the panel of judges, such panel member shall be ruled out of that same candidate’s evaluation.

Judges List

Alexandre Correia [Violin]

Alexandre Correia began his Violin studies at the Academia de Música de Paços de Brandão with Carlos Fontes, continuing his course at the Academia de Música de Santa Maria da Feira with Nancy Frederick. He completed his degree at Escola Superior de Artes Aplicadas of Castelo Branco with Augusto Trindade.
During his academic training, he attended Masterclasses with Vladimir Ovcharek, Daniel Stabrawa, Christian Stadelmann, Laurentius Dinca, Shmuel Ashkenazi, Daniel Rowland, and Zofia Woycicka.
He has performed with several orchestras such as the Orquestra Clássica do Centro, the Orquestra do Algarve, the Orquestra Sine Nomine and the Orquestra Filarmónica Portuguesa, under the direction of conductors such as Leonardo de Barros, Tugan Sokhiev, Rui Massena, Pedro Carneiro, Ivo Cruz, Osvaldo Ferreira, Cesário Costa, Joana Carneiro, Marc Tardue, Martin André, Omri Hadari and António Vitorino d’Almeida.
He has taught Masterclasses at Academia de Música e Dança do Fundão, at Academia de Música de Paços de Brandão, at Academia de Música de Oliveira de Azeméis, at Escola de Música da Póvoa de Varzim, at Conservatório de Música de Aveiro de Calouste Gulbenkian, at Conservatório de Música de Seia, among others.

Tobias Gossmann [Violin]

Tobias Gossmann is pursuing an active international career as a conductor, concertmaster and chamber musician. Born in Siegen, Germany, he was educated at the prestigious Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst, today University of Music and Performing Arts, in Vienna, Austria. There he studied violin, viola, piano and orchestra conducting and graduated with a Master of Arts diploma with highest distinction.
His professional activity began as concertmaster of the chamber orchestra Maurice Ravel Ensemble in Vienna at the young age of 20 years old. A few years later he won the same position in the opera house of Barcelona, the Gran Teatre del Liceu, but in 2002 he decided to leave this tenured concertmaster position to additionally embark on a conducting career.
Since then, Tobias Gossmann has been acting as guest concertmaster and conductor worldwide with orchestras, singers and soloists of the first order. He has worked with the Vienna Symphony, George Enescu Phiharmonic, Cadaques Orchestra, Orchestra Internazionale d’Italia, Wuppertal Symphony, Bochum Symphony, Folkwang Chamber Orchestra Essen, Super World Orchestra, World Orchestra for Peace, National Classical Orchestra Andorra, Radio FM Orchestra Sofia, Radio Orchestra Pilsen, Orquesta Filarmónica de Oviedo, Nacional Orchestra of Tailand, Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra and many more.
In Portugal he has given violin master classes, conducted the Orquestra Filarmónica Portuguesa, Orquestra Académica Filarmónica Portuguesa and the Orquestra Sinfónica da ESART-IPCB and has acted over the last two years as guest concertmaster for the Orquestra Sinfónica Portuguesa and the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos.
In Spain Tobias Gossmann has occupied the position of Music Director and Principal Conductor at the University of Alicante since 2017.

Bruno Costa [Percussion]

Bruno Costa has been a solo percussionist with the Porto Casa da Música Symphony Orchestra since 2005. Born in Aveiro in 1984, he began his musical studies at the age of ten. He graduated from the Porto School of Music and Performing Arts under the guidance of Manuel Campos and Miquel Bernat, achieving the highest score in his final recital. In 2016, he completed his professionalization at the Open University and was awarded the title of specialist in “Percussion Performance and Chamber Music” by the Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco in 2021.
As a guest musician, he has performed in various countries in Europe and the Americas and has taught percussion masterclasses in Portugal and Spain. He has served as a jury member in international percussion competitions. As a member of the Drumming GP, under the guidance of Miquel Bernat, he premiered works by international composers in various auditoriums. He has collaborated with groups such as the Pulsat Percussion Group and the 2tUBAS&friends, and is a founding member of various musical duos.
He has excelled in premieres of important works, such as Gabriel Prokofiev’s Concerto for Trumpet, Percussion, Turntables & Orchestra, and has performed as a soloist with the Gulbenkian Orchestra and the Porto Casa da Música Symphony Orchestra. Currently, he teaches at the Castelo Branco College of Applied Arts (ESART), in addition to having taught at various academies and conservatories.

Jeffery Davis [Percussion]

He starts his musical studies very early, starting quickly on percussion. Conservatório Calouste Gulbenkian, Escola Profissional de Música de Espinho (EPME), Escola Superior de Música e Artes do Espectáculo (ESMAE), Berklee College of Music, were the educational establishments where he passed and stood out as one of the best students.
He wins several awards from Berklee, namely: the award for Most Active Mallet Player; and the prize for academic excellence Dean of Curriculum. He also receives from IAJE (International Association for Jazz Education) the award for Outstanding Musicianship.
In the USA he have the opportunity to work with jazz musicians, such as: Alex Terrier, Dave Liebman, Gary Burton, Phil Wilson, Terrence Blanchard, Vitor Mendoza.
In Europe, he has played with musicians like: Afonso Pais, Anders Christensen, Carlos Barretto, Daniel Bernardes, Darren Barrett, Fernando Ramos, Jaume Llombart, Nelson Cascais, Pedro Carneiro, Perico Sambeat, Sérgio Carolino, Voro Garcia.
He stands out, in the music community, as a composer, having written music for Kinetix Duo; Flux Ensemble; XL Trio; Drumming – Group Percussion; Quad Quartet; Pedro Carneiro / Jeff Davis Duo; Romeu Costa and Pedro Carneiro.
What distinguishes and makes each of his projects unique is the sonority fed by the vibraphone. The themes written by Jeffery Davis for ensemble denote a profound influence of scholarly chamber music and jazz.
He is a Marimba One, Resta-Jay Percussions and Palco Improvisado artist.

Hugues Kesteman [Bassoon]

Born in Brussels in 1949, Hugues Kesteman began his career in the opera choir at the age of 20, after studying singing for six years. Concurrently, he studied bassoon at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, graduating with distinction in bassoon, chamber music, and music education, as well as earning a diploma in music pedagogy. He furthered his studies with Albert Hennige in Germany and studied Early Music with oboist Paul Dombrecht at the Lemmens Institute in Leuven.
Awarded by the Yehudi Menuhin Foundation, he performed as a bassoonist in various orchestras, giving concerts across Europe, the USA, Brazil, Peru, India, and Macau with various ensembles. A member of the “MAAC” Association, dedicated to the historical Portuguese repertoire, he participated in recordings and educational projects. As a teacher, he established bassoon courses in Belgium and Portugal, as well as organizing workshops and national meetings. An Aikido instructor, he founded five centers and the Portuguese Aikido Association of the Northern Region.
Retired professor from ESMAE, he served as Coordinator of the Winds Area and Director of the Music Department, also founding courses and disciplines. He published a biography, “Two Lives One Destiny,” and has experience in manufacturing and repairing bassoons. Since the 1980s, he has been invited twice by Alan Fox to work at his bassoon factory in the USA. Currently, he has established his own bassoon repair workshop in Porto. Since 2004, he has been a member of Rotary International.

Pedro Silva [Bassoon]

Pedro Silva, born in Guimarães, is a musician with extensive training. He graduated and obtained his master’s degree in Artistic Interpretation from the Porto School of Music under the guidance of Hugues Kesteman. Additionally, he has specialized in bassoon and studied at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe in Germany with Gunter Pfizenmaier. He has participated in Master-Classes with renowned musicians such as Sérgio Azollini, Gustavo Nuñes, Milan Turkovic, and Dag Jensen in various European countries.
He received the 3rd Prize in the woodwinds category of the Portuguese Youth Music Competition in 1995 and has extensive experience in chamber and orchestral music, performing in various countries such as Spain, France, the Netherlands, Germany, and Brazil.
He has been a member of various Portuguese and international orchestras, including the Porto Symphony Orchestra Casa da Música and the Paris Orchestra, as well as ensembles such as the Trivm de Palhetas and the Camerata Senza Misura, with recordings by Editora Numérica.
As a soloist, he has premiered works by national and international composers, being the dedicatee of pieces for solo bassoon, piano, and electronics. He has served on juries in music competitions and is recognized for his pedagogical work, having created bassoon classes at various music education institutions in Portugal. Currently, he teaches at the Porto School of Music and collaborates with the Professional Artistic School of Alto Minho.

António Felipe Belijar [Saxophone]

Antonio Felipe Belijar, born in Madrid in 1978, began his musical journey at the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid, concluding with the Honour Prize in Saxophone. He earned several awards, including First Prize at the 2nd International Competition for Young Soloists (1995) and the 3rd International Competition for Young Soloists (1996). Additionally, he won Second Prize at the 4th International Competition “Villa de San Juan” (2006), and First Prize at the 1st Saxophone Competition “Villa de Benidorm” (1999).
Belijar’s achievements extend to international competitions such as the 14th Music Competition “Pacem in Terris” (2001) and the 3rd International Competition Adolphe Sax (2002), where he won Third Prize and Prix de la Province de Liège. His solo performances with orchestras have taken him across Spain, Germany, Italy, USA, Portugal, and Belgium. Recognized by Selmer Paris for the “1er Tremplin Jeunes 2002-2003,”
Belijar is deeply passionate about transcribing and performing significant compositions for saxophone. He served as a member and musical director of Sax Antiqua, specializing in Ancient Music repertoire, and taught at Conservatorio Profesional de Música de Madrid and MUSIKENE. Presently, he teaches saxophone at Castilla-La Mancha High Conservatory of Music and Alfonso X El Sabio University in Madrid.

Rodrio Pires de Lima [Saxophone]

Rodrigo Pires de Lima is a Portuguese musician and educator, holding a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota (USA) and a postgraduate degree in Saxophone from the Conservatoire Supérieur de Musique de Strasbourg (France). He also holds master’s degrees in Music and Music Education, as well as a bachelor’s degree in Music-Saxophone from the Lisbon Superior School of Music. His doctoral project, “The use of human echolocation in music,” was recognized in 2019, earning the Engineer Jaime Filipe Technological Innovation Award.
As an educator, he has taught at Lusíada University and currently teaches at the Lisbon Superior School of Music, while his musical activity involves collaborations in various musical genres. In 2017, he founded ELECTROVILLE JUKEBOX, a group that blends improvisation, contemporary music, world music, and original compositions.
As a performer, Rodrigo Pires de Lima has been active in solo concerts and with different ensembles, including as a soloist with the National Republican Guard Symphonic Band.
Additionally, he dedicates part of his time to composition, having created works such as “Weiss” for solo alto saxophone, “Daniela 3.0” for baritone saxophone, electric guitar, percussion, and electronics, and “Oak Grove” for Saxophone Quartet. He also composed “Kitchen Gadgets” for saxophone orchestra, voice, and drums in 2021 and “MusaiCo” for a variable group and voice in 2022.
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