Miguel Rocha

He began his studies at the Conservatory of Porto with Isabel Delerue. In 1983, he continued his studies abroad with M. Strauss (Paris), Vectomov (Prague), Iankovic (Maastricht), Aldulescu, Pergamenchikov (Basel), Fallot (Lausanne). He obtained several prizes, including the 1st Virtuosity Prize of the Conservatoire de Lausanne and the 1st Prize of the International Competition of Music UFAM. He received a scholarship from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in 1983-85 to study in Paris and in Prague Superior Academy. He continued his improvement at the Conservatory of Maastricht and in the Basel Superior Academy, with a scholarship from SEC. He participated in Pedagogy stages with Burton Kaplan in USA and also in interpretation courses with Paul Tortelier, C. Henkel, Janos Starker, P. Muller, M. Tchaikovskaia. He performed in France, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Brazil and the USA. Was solo cellist in the “Sinfonietta de Lausanne” from 1996 to 1999. He taught for 10 years in various schools in France, namely at the Conservatoire National de Belfort, Grenoble, Annecy and in Switzerland, in Lausanne, from 1997 to 2000. In 2001, he returned to Portugal, where he develops an intense activity as a soloist and as a chamber musician, and pedagogue, in ESART – Castelo Branco. As a member of Duo Contracello, he recorded three CD. With the Athena Trio, he recorded a CD in France. Playing the baroque cello, with Ensemble Avondano, he participated in the editing and recording of unpublished 18th century Portuguese repertoire (with the Stradivarius cello “King of Portugal”).