Date
19/01/2026

In the last season, André Silva, a student at the School of Applied Arts (ESART) of the Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco (IPCB) in the trumpet class of professors António Quítalo and José Almeida, achieved important accomplishments in the Portuguese and European orchestral scene.

In the first semester of 2025, the young man from São João da Madeira, who is currently in his second year of a master’s degree in Music Education, joined the Munich New Philharmonic, one of the most respected semi-professional orchestras in that region of Germany, which is renowned for training young musicians from all over the world.

The ESART-IPCB trumpeter was then selected for the reserve list of the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra, founded in Vienna, Austria, by conductor Claudio Abbado, which brings together the best emerging talents in Europe. He also secured a substitute position in the Beira Interior Orchestral Ensemble, based in Covilhã and part of the BEYRA Artistic Laboratory.

In the second half of the previous year, André Silva won the only trumpet position available at the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Academy of Galicia in Santiago de Compostela (Spain). He was also chosen to join the Portuguese Philharmonic Academic Orchestra, a project of the Portuguese Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by maestro Osvaldo Ferreira, which brings together young musicians from all regions of the country.

In terms of awards, at the 16th edition of the Oliveira de Azeméis International Wind Instrument Competition, organised by the Oliveira de Azeméis Music Academy, the student won second place in the senior trumpet category.