BIO & DISCOGRAPHY
SHORT BIO
Luís Figueiredo was born in Coimbra in 1979. He is a Portuguese pianist, composer, arranger and musical producer, working regularly in the jazz scene, as well as within classical and pop music, both in Portugal and abroad. He's released several albums as leader/co-leader and is a sideman in many other projects. Figueiredo earned a PhD in Music in 2016 and in 2019 he co-founded the independent label Roda Music.
LONG BIO
Luís Figueiredo, born in Coimbra in 1979, is a Portuguese pianist, composer, arranger and musical producer.
He began his musical studies at age 8. After two years of private piano lessons, in 1989 he entered Conservatório de Música de Coimbra, where he graduated in Piano. In 2005 he graduated in Piano from Universidade de Aveiro, where he studied under Vitali Dotsenko, Fausto Neves, António Chagas Rosa and Vasco Negreiros, amongst others. That same year, he attended Escola de Jazz Luiz Villas Boas at the Hot Clube de Portugal in Lisbon, under Filipe Melo, Bernardo Moreira, Ricardo Pinheiro and Bruno Santos. In 2016 he completed his PhD at Universidade de Aveiro, under the supervision of ethnomusicologist Susana Sardo and pianist/composer Mário Laginha. During this period of training, he attended a number of masterclasses and workshops with Álvaro Teixeira Lopes, Andrezej Pikul, Roy Howatt, Liv Glaser, Mário Laginha, Valery Starodubrovsky, Dave Liebman and Hervé N’Kaoua, amongst many others. He also participated in several academic events in the areas of musical performance and musicology, such as the SIBE (Sociedade Ibérica de Etnomusicologia) Conference in Salamanca and Lisbon, the Rhythm Changes International Jazz Conference in Amsterdam, the Leeds International Jazz Conference in Leeds UK, Jazz Talks – Aveiro International Jazz Conference (Aveiro, Portugal), ENIM (Encontros Nacionais de Investigação em Música) in several locations throughout Portugal, and the Post-ip Post in Progress Conference (Aveiro, Portugal). He has been invited as speaker in a number of occasions, including a TED talk at the Aveiro 2012 edition, Escola Superior de Educação de Coimbra (Fórum das Artes e Tecnologias), the EPTA – European Piano Teachers Association Conference in Portugal, Academia de Música de Castelo de Paiva, Academia de Música de Torre de Moncorvo, Conservatório de Música de Coimbra, and many others.
Between 2005 and 2015, he taught at such institutions as Conservatório de Música de Coimbra, Conservatório de Música da Jobra (Branca, Albergaria-a-Velha), Conservatório de Música de S. José da Guarda and Tone Music School, in Coimbra. On occasion, he has taught masterclasses and workshops in the areas of classical music, jazz and composition at several institutions in Portugal and also abroad. Between 2011 and 2019 he was closely connected with the master’s programs in Music and Music Teaching at Universidade de Aveiro, where he worked as coordinator of the Jazz department and vice-director of the master’s program in Music Performance. He also taught piano, chamber music, jazz combo, composition and jazz studies.
Luís Figueiredo has been professionally active since 2004 in the fields of musical performance (both classical and improvised), composition and arrangement, and also musical production. He released his first album as a leader in 2010 (Manhã, JACC Records) and has since then collaborated in about thirty other record editions. He has worked and/or recorded with Cristina Branco, Bruno Pedroso, Carlos Bica, André Fernandes, Luísa Sobral, Alexandre Frazão, Reinier Baas, João Moreira, Ana Bacalhau, Mário Delgado, Bernardo Moreira, David Binney, João Hasselberg, Perico Sambeat, Mário Laginha, Marta Hugon, Ricardo Toscano, Eduardo Raon, Rita Maria, Diogo Duque, Márcia, Mário Franco, Diabo na Cruz, Carlos Barretto, Jorge Moniz, Gisela João and Jeffery Davis, to name only a few. He has worked with Orquestra Filarmonia das Beiras, Orquestra Metropolitana, Orquestra Clássica do Sul, Orquestra XXI, Hr Frankfurt Rundfunk Big Band (Germany), Orchestre National de Bretagne (FR), Het Gelders Orkester (Netherlands), as well as a number of chamber music ensembles, under conductors such as Cesário Costa, Dinis Sousa, Jamie Philips, Rui Pinheiro, Jan Wierzba, Marc Feldman, Fiona Monbet and António Vassalo Lourenço. His tour schedule has included concerts, masterclasses and artistic residencies in a wide range of locations, such as Spain, France, Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Serbia, Greece, Turkey, Mexico, Morocco and Brazil.
Figueiredo was the arranger of the winning song at the 2017 Eurovision Contest, “Amar Pelos Dois”. He works regularly as arranger and producer, and is often commissioned to compose music for different purposes.
Since 2008, he has also collaborated in theatre and cinema as composer, performer and musical director. In this field, he has worked with Tiago Cravidão, António Ferreira, O Teatrão, Sandra Barata Belo, Patrícia André, Rui Pedro Silva and Teatro Praga.
In 2019 Luís Figueiredo founded independent label Roda Music, along with fellow musicians Rita Maria and Mário Franco.
DISCOGRAPHY
Selected
Luís Figueiredo (2024), Anima, Roda Music (feat. Orquestra Metropolitana de Lisboa, cond. Pedro Neves, Diogo Duque, Eivind Aarset, Julian Argüelles and Martín Sued)
Luís Figueiredo (2023), Lado B, Lado B Records (vinyl reissue)
Luís Figueiredo feat. Orquestra Jazz de Matosinhos (2022), Se Por Acaso, Roda Music
Luís Figueiredo (2021), À Deriva, Roda Music
Luís Figueiredo (2017), Kronos/Penélope
Luís Figueiredo (2012), Lado B, Sintoma Records (CD edition)
Luís Figueiredo Trio (2010), Manhã, JACC Records
Collaborations
Luís Figueiredo, Manuel Rocha (2024), Underwater Songs, Lado B Records
Eduardo Raon, Luís Figueiredo, João Hasselberg (feat. Pedro Melo Alves) (2023), Text of Sound, Roda Music
Luís Figueiredo & Coro Coimbra VOCAL (2023), Memória da Viagem, Roda Music
Bernardo Couto, Luís Figueiredo, Bernardo Moreira (2022), Sul, JACC Records
Simantra Grupo de Percussão + Luis Figueiredo (2022), Mil Pedaços, Roda Music
João Mortágua + Luís Figueiredo (2021), Kintsugi, Roda Music
Lara Lima + Luís Figueiredo (2020), Pranava, Roda Music
Raon + Figueiredo + Hasselberg (2020), This Was What Will Be, Tiny Hedgehog Records
Rita Maria + Luís Figueiredo + Mário Franco (2019), Círculo, Roda Music
Luís Figueiredo + João Hasselberg (2017), SongBird Vol.II
Nuno Dias + Luís Figueiredo (2016), Canções Pagãs
Luís Figueiredo + João Hasselberg (2015), SongBird Vol.I
Sofia Vitória + Luís Figueiredo (2014), Palavra de Mulher, Sintoma Records
Sideman / Producer
Cristina Branco (2023), Mãe, Locomotiva Azul
Elisa Rodrigues (2023), (EP)
Various Artists (2023), Calíope, Lado B Records
Cristina Branco (2020), Eva, Arruada
Marta Hugon (2019), Coração na Boca
Elisa Rodrigues (2018), As Blue As Red, Universal
Cristina Branco (2018), Branco, Universal
Mário Franco (2017), Rush, Nischo
Ana Bacalhau (2017), Nome Próprio, Universal
Salvador Sobral (2017), Amar Pelos Dois, Sons em Trânsito
Sofia Vitória (2016), Echoes: Fernando Pessoa – English Poetry & Prose, Author’s Ed./ Casa Fernando Pessoa
Cristina Branco (2016), Menina, Universal
Jorge Moniz (2014), Inquieta Luz, Sintoma Records
João Hasselberg (2014), Truth Has To Be Given in Riddles
Luísa Sobral (2014), Lu-Pu-I-Pi-Sa-Pa, Universal Music
João Hasselberg (2013), Whatever It Is You're Seeking, Won't Come in the Form You're Expecting, Sintoma Records
Producer/composer/arranger
Elisa Rodrigues (2023), (EP)
Marisa Liz (2023), Girassóis e Tempestades, Universal
Various Artists (2023), Calíope, Lado B Records
Simantra Grupo de Percussão + Luis Figueiredo (2022), Mil Pedaços, Roda Music
Cristina Branco (2020), Eva, Arruada
Marta Hugon (2019), Coração na Boca
Márcia (2018), Vai e Vem, Parlophone Portugal
Diabo na Cruz (2018), Lebre, Sony
Cristina Branco (2018), Branco, Universal
Salvador Sobral (2017), Amar Pelos Dois, Sons em Trânsito
Sofia Vitória (2016), Echoes: Fernando Pessoa – English Poetry & Prose, Author’s Ed./ Casa F. Pessoa
Nuno Dias + Luís Figueiredo (2016), Canções Pagãs
Diogo Piçarra (2015), Espelho, Universal
Luísa Sobral (2014), Lu-Pu-I-Pi-Sa-Pa, Universal
