Rui Pinheiro was the Principal Conductor of the Orquestra Clássica do Sul (now Orquestra do Algarve) for eight years (2015-2022) and revived the Algarve International Music Festival for three editions (2017 to 2019), where he served as Artistic Director. He won the competition for Associate Conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in the United Kingdom, a position he held for two seasons (2010-2012). Previously, he had been the Conductor of the National Conservatory Orchestra of Lisbon (2005-2008) and, in London, Musical Director of the Ensemble Serse, a baroque opera company using period instruments, and founder of the Ensemble Disquiet, a group dedicated to promoting contemporary Portuguese music (2008-2010).

He is regularly invited to conduct the main national orchestras (Portuguese Symphony Orchestra, Porto National Orchestra, Gulbenkian Orchestra, Filarmonia das Beiras, Orquestra do Norte, Madeira Classical Orchestra, among others). He has a close collaborative relationship with the Lisbon Contemporary Music Group and is a founding member of AREPO – Opera and Contemporary Arts, where he was responsible for the musical direction of several world premiere chamber operas by Luís Soldado. During these years, he acquired extensive experience as a conductor and built a vast repertoire that spans from the Baroque period to modern music (with several premieres and dedicated works), covering chamber groups to symphonic formations, with various forays into opera, ballet, and theater.

Rui Pinheiro has been invited to give conducting masterclasses, most recently at the Centro Superior Katarina Gurska (Madrid) and the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Aragón (Zaragoza).

After completing a Bachelor’s degree in Piano (ESMAE), a postgraduate degree in Piano and Chamber Music (Ferenc Liszt Academy in Budapest), and a Master’s degree in Musical Arts (New University of Lisbon), he obtained a Master’s degree in Orchestral Conducting (Master of Music) from the Royal College of Music in London.

He currently lives in Lisbon with his wife Daniela and their cats Olívia and Joly.