About Me
Clara de Sousa Gonçalves was born on September 5, 2001, in Portugal. From an early age, she demonstrated a strong commitment to the saxophone. She earned her bachelor's degree in Music (saxophone) from the Escola Superior de Artes Aplicadas (ESART), studying under Professor Carlos Canhoto, and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Performance with a specialization in Contemporary Music at the Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz (FHNW) in Basel, guided by Professor Marcus Weiss.
Her academic and artistic journey is distinguished by numerous awards. In 2013, she won first prize at the Palmela International Saxophone Festival. In 2018, she received the Maria do Carmo Gomes Prize, given to the best performer at the Conservatório Regional de Castelo Branco. She also secured second place in the chamber music category at the 13th and 14th editions of FOLEFEST, and third place at the 2021 National Contemporary Music Competition.
Clara has built a reputation as a versatile and innovative performer, appearing at international festivals such as the Impuls Festival in Graz, where her recording of Bruno Mantovani’s "Bug" was broadcast on Radio Helsinki. She also premiered two pieces at the World Saxophone Congress in Harbin, China.
Currently, Clara is focused on her artistic and academic growth, emphasizing contemporary music and performance. Throughout her career, she has taken masterclasses with renowned musicians like Claude Delangle, Vincent David, and Patrick Stadler, consistently expanding her technique and repertoire within the contemporary music scene.
Her artistic work is deeply rooted in values of inclusion, sustainability, and social awareness. She collaborated with StuVe to develop sustainable concert formats and was recently selected for the FICA mentorship program, which supports young artists in areas such as self-management, programming, and mental health.
At the same time, Clara completed a Master’s degree in Music Education, giving her a strong foundation in pedagogy. She now teaches private lessons to students in both Portugal and Basel.
Clara is a founding member of the Lontano Trio, which will premiere a concert in 2026 featuring five original works inspired by the visual art of painter and ceramicist Manuel Cargaleiro. She also founded Fragmentos Ensemble, a contemporary music group that has worked with composers like Hugo Vasco Reis and Paulo Jorge Ferreira.
She is part of the Linden Trio, which combines Portuguese guitar, classical guitar, and saxophone to explore the ethno-jazz genre. Clara also performs with other groups, including Banda Filarmónica de Castelo Branco and the Dão Saxophone Orchestra.
Beyond performing, Clara has a deep connection to nature, which she aims to reflect in her performances through soundscapes that evoke the natural world. She also has a passion for photography—both analog and digital—which she considers an extension of her creative process.
Clara continues to broaden her artistic horizons by exploring electronic music, programming, and lighting design, incorporating new technological tools into her creative workflow and paving the way for multi-dimensional, socially engaged performances.