Date
28/5/2026

The Chalumeau Quartet was the winner of the third edition of the Internal Chamber Music Competition organised by the School of Applied Arts (ESART) at the Castelo Branco Polytechnic (IPCB). Following a preliminary round held on 22 April, the final took place on 27 May in Auditorium 1 at ESART-IPCB.

Formed in 2024 as part of the Chamber Music module within the Bachelor’s degree in Music, the group comprises clarinettists Matilde Augusto, Patrícia Franco, Raquel Costa and Sofia Sequeira.

Seeking once again to combine technical rigour with their own interpretative identity, the young musicians performed Homage to Pan (I. Pastorale, II. Bagpipes) by Jenö Takács, as well as the 9 Tangos (Misteriosa Vida, Yo canto un tango, Recuerdo New-York, Oblivion, Villeguita, Mi exaltación, Se armó, Buenos Aires hora cero, Psicosis) by Astor Piazzolla.

Second place was awarded to Aurora Sonora. Comprising Artur Sustelo (recorder), Beatriz Queiroz (violin), Eunice Santos (cello) and Ana Leonor Borshchenko (harpsichord), the group performed in the competition with a repertoire by N. Porpora – Concerto No. 5 Op. 2 (Affettuoso, Allegro, Adagio, Giga Allegro) – and J. S. Bach – Sonata BWV 1038 (Largo).

Meanwhile, Pedro Boto and António Sousa (violin), Núria Ribeiro (viola), Duarte Semeão (cello) and David Tóth (piano) chose Amy Beach’s Piano Quintet, Op. 67 (Adagio – Allegro moderato, Adagio expressivo, Allegro agitato – Adagio come, prima – Presto) by Amy Beach, thereby securing third place.

The ensembles that stood out in the 2026 edition will now take part in the winners’ concert. In addition to the right to make a professional recording, the group that came first will give a solo recital at Solar dos Zagalos, in Almada, on 11 June.

Aimed at students enrolled at ESART-IPCB, the Internal Chamber Music Competition aims to promote knowledge of diverse repertoires and foster healthy artistic competition, as well as to highlight the importance of chamber music practice in musical training.