About

Biographies

Rui C. Antunes is a violinist and composer residing in Leipzig. Rui regularly performs works by living composers including several world premiers, and is often involved in the commissioning of new works for violin. He is a member of the Kairos Quartett since March 2024. He is also a member of the Concrète [Lab] Ensemble (Lisbon, Portugal) and the Ensemble Reflexion K (Eckernförde, Germany).

He finished his composition studies with Fabien Lévy with a research on the theme of "The Art of Multiphonics: A guide to the performance of multiphonics in the violin and viola" in the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Leipzig, Germany. Previously, he studied violin in the HMT in the class of Prof. Friedemann Wezel, where he also briefly studied with Carolin Widmann. Rui finished his first bachelor at the National Superior Academy of Orchestra (ANSO), in Lisbon.

He had his debut as a composer in 2016, and has since collected several prizes both as a violinist and as a composer. His music has already been played in Portugal, Spain, Germany, and Belgium.

He currently teaches New Music Performance Practice for strings in the HMT Leipzig.

Rui C. Antunes is a violinist and composer residing in Leipzig. He is a member of the Kairos Quartett since March 2024. He is a founding member of the Concrète [Lab] Ensemble (Lisbon, Portugal) since 2022 and a member of Ensemble Reflexion K (Eckernförde, Germany) since September 2023. He regularly cooperates with other contemporary music ensembles and orchestras such as: Lisbon Ensemble XX/XXI, (Con)temporary (In)sights, Mpmp Ensemble, OrquestraXXI, Philharmonie Leipzig.

He had his debut as a composer in 2016, and has since collected several prizes both as a violinist and as a composer and his music has so far been played in Portugal, Spain, Germany, and Belgium.

In 2013 joined the National Superior Academy of Orchestra in Lisbon, Portugal, where he studied with Prof. Aníbal Lima, finishing his bachelor with excellence in 2017. The same year, he enrolled in the Hochschule für Musik und Theater “Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy” in Leipzig, Germany, where he studied violin with Prof. Friedemann Wezel, finishing his second bachelor in 2019 and his Master in Violin Performance in 2021, both with excellence and top mark on the final violin examinations. Following, he finished a Master degree in composition at the HMT-Leipzig with Fabien Lévy.

He currently teaches New Music Performance Practice for strings in the HMT Leipzig.

Rui C. Antunes (1995, Torres Novas) began his musical studies at the age of 7 at the Phydellius Choral Music Conservatory (violin).

In 2013 he enrolls in the Academia Nacional Superior de Orquestra (Superior National Academy of Orchestra) in Lisbon, Portugal, where he studies in the violin class of Prof. Aníbal Lima, finishing his degree with excellence in 2017. In the same year, he enrolled at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" in Leipzig, Germany, where he studies violin with Prof. Friedemann Wezel, finishing his second degree in 2019 and his master degree in violin performance in 2021, both with excellence and top marks in his violin final exams.

He finished his composition studies at HMT-Leipzig with Fabien Lévy, and postgraduate studies in Applied Composition at the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa with Luis Naón, Michele Tadini, Alexander Waite, Ruth Schreiner, and the Ensemble Recherche.

He studied Chamber Music with Paul Wakabayashy, Artur Pizarro, Frank Reinecke, Hanns-Martin Schreiber, Caspar Franz, Boris Kusnezow, and Florian Schötz.

He took part in violin masterclasses with Benjamin Schmid, Jack Liebeck, Friedemann Wezel, Aníbal Lima, and Roberto Valdés; and Chamber Music with Étienne Lamaison, Marie-Luise Neunecker, and Isabel Charisius. In addition, he had private lessons with Carolin Widmann, Heime Müller, Erich Höbarth, Daniel Sepec, Noé Inui, Kathrin Ten-Hagen, H.W. Mehling, Roberto Valdés, Ana Pereira.

He is a member of the Kairos Quartett (Berlin, Germany) since March 2024, and of Ensemble Reflexion K (Eckernförde, Germany) since September 2023. He is also a founding member of the Concréte [Lab] Ensemble, a contemporary music ensemble dedicated to working directly with current composers based in Lisbon, Portugal. He regularly cooperates with other contemporary music ensembles and orchestras, such as: Lisbon Ensemble XX/XXI, (Con)temporary (In)sights, Ensemble Mpmp, Philharmonie Leipzig, Orquestra XXI.

He had his debut as a composer in 2016, and since then several prizes have been awarded to him, both as violinist and composer. His music has been performed in Portugal, Spain, Germany, and Belgium.

He currently teaches New Music Performance Practice for strings in the HMT Leipzig.

Awards & Prizes

2022

2021

2019

2017

2016

Only Prize, Criasons Competition 2022 for musical theater | Lisboa (Portugal)

Awarded piece: "Pensar é estar doente dos olhos"

Especial Prize for the best interpretation of Bach, advanced level - violin, 6. National String Competition "Vasco Barbosa“ | Lisbon (Portugal)

Half-Finalist: "Prémio Jovens Músicos“, advanced level - violin | video recording (Portugal)

1st Prize and Audience Award, 12th International Composition Competition of Póvoa de Varzim | Póvoa de Varzim (Portugal)

Awarded piece: Dois Personagens Portugueses

Half-Finalist: "Prémio Jovens Músicos“, advanced level - violin | Lisbon (Portugal)

Honourable Mention, advanced level - violin, 2. National String Competition "Vasco Barbosa“ | Lisbon (Portugal)

Awards & Prizes

Ensembles

Kairos Quartett

Ensemble Reflexion K

Concrète [Lab] Ensemble

kairosquartett.de

ensemble-reflexionk.de

concretelabensemble.wixsite.com

Education

2022-2023 (Lisbon)

Post-Graduation in Applied Composition

Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa

Prof. Luis Naón, Prof. Rut Schreiner, Prof. Michele Tadini, Prof. Alexander Waite, Ensemble Recherche

2021-2024 (Leipzig)

Master in Composition