Primo Artists signs clarinetist Carlos Ferreira for General Management

For Immediate Release

PRIMO ARTISTS SIGNS CLARINETIST CARLOS FERREIRA FOR GENERAL MANAGEMENT  

LONDON, U.K. (6 January, 2026) – Primo Artists announces the signing of Portuguese-born clarinetist Carlos Ferreira for Worldwide General Management, effective immediately.

Maja Rath, who leads Primo Artists’ recently opened European office, says: “We are delighted to welcome Carlos Ferreira to the Primo Artists roster as the first artist signed by our London office, marking an important milestone for the agency. Carlos is an artist of profound sincerity, known for a stage presence that is naturally magnetic and deeply human. His playing is defined by an expansive palette of color and a command that captures audiences instantly, carried by an innate virtuosity that feels both effortless and personal. He approaches every piece with meticulous care, blending a profound grasp of style with a genuine devotion to the composer’s voice. Having followed his artistry for some time, we are greatly inspired by his interpretative depth and artistic vision, and very much look forward to working with Carlos as we shape what promises to be a significant and distinctive career.”

Carlos Ferreira says: "I am deeply honoured that an agency of Primo Artists’ calibre has placed such trust in my artistic vision. From my initial conversations with Charlotte Lee, I felt a genuine sense of openness, curiosity and, most importantly, a deep alignment around the integrity of this beautiful art form and the artists who dedicate their lives to it. That sense of connection has only deepened through my wonderful relationship with Maja Rath.

"My first teacher once told me, ‘You were born to bring joy to people through your music.’ Joining Primo Artists allows me to pursue that calling with greater freedom and purpose — to bring my music to new halls, reach new audiences, and share meaningful artistic experiences around the world. I very much look forward to this new chapter together.”

Carlos Ferreira has been celebrated by The Arts Desk as “marvellous,” with “rich and resonant” playing, and is widely admired for his technical ease, coloristic range, and charismatic stage presence. He currently serves as Principal Clarinet of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, having been appointed by Klaus Mäkelä, and enjoys an extensive international career as both a soloist and chamber musician.

In the 2025/26 season, Ferreira makes guest appearances with leading European orchestras, including the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, and tours Germany with the Prague Philharmonia, performing Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto, Crusell’s Clarinet Concerto No. 2, and Schumann’s Abendlied. In summer 2026, he appears with the Württembergisches Kammerorchester Heilbronn at the Rheingau Musik Festival, and gives the World Premiere of Pedro Emanuel Pereira’s Clarinet Concerto at the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in California, conducted by Cristian Macelaru.

An avid chamber musician, Ferreira appears this season in chamber music programs at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw Kleine Zaal with the Goya Quartet, performing the Mozart and Brahms Clarinet Quintets, and at Denmark’s Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, collaborating with Karen Gomyo, Inmo Yang, Sindy Mohamed, and Bryan Cheng in the same celebrated repertoire.

Named a European Concert Hall Organisation (ECHO) Rising Star for the 2024/25 season, Ferreira was showcased at many of Europe’s most distinguished venues, including Philharmonie de Paris, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Barbican Centre, Bozar Brussels, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, and The Glasshouse International. His accolades also include prizes at the ARD International Music Competition in Munich and the Geneva International Competition, as well as the WEMAG Soloist Prize at the Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

Ferreira’s first joint album with pianist and composer Pedro Emanuel Pereira, XX–XXI, was released in November 2022 and features cornerstone works of the 20th-century clarinet repertoire alongside the World Premiere of Pereira’s suite Duas Igrejas, Op. 7, written especially for the project.

Recent seasons have seen Ferreira perform as soloist with orchestras including the Orchestre National de France, Münchner Rundfunkorchester, National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Orquestra Filarmónica Portuguesa, Orquestra Sinfónica do Porto Casa da Música, Münchener Kammerorchester, Prague Philharmonia, Orchestre de Chambre de Genève, and Collegium Musicum Basel, collaborating with conductors such as Cristian Macelaru, Lorenzo Viotti, Nuno Coelho, Valentin Uryupin, Gabriel Bebe?elea, and Pierre Bleuse.

As a chamber musician, he has collaborated with artists including Hilary Hahn, Alice Sara Ott, Emmanuel Pahud, Karen Gomyo, Timothy Ridout, Frank Dupree, Eric Le Sage, Lise Berthaud, Paul Meyer, Julia Hagen, Pierre Fouchenneret, Sarah Nemtanu, Quatuor Hermès, Nika Goric, and Sao Soulez-Larivière.

Ferreira previously held principal clarinet positions with the Orchestre National de France, Philharmonia Orchestra, and Orchestre National de Lille. Born in Paredes, Portugal, he trained at the Reina Sofía School of Music in Madrid, the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, and HEMU Lausanne, following early musical studies in Portugal. After participating in the Concertgebouw Orchestra Academy, he began his professional orchestral career as Principal E-flat Clarinet of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo.

For more information on Primo Artists, click here.
For more information on Carlos Ferreira, click here.

Contacts:
Charlotte Lee
President and Founder
1 212 804 8301
charlotte@primoartists.com 

Maja Rath
Artist Manager
44 743 898 9951
maja@primoartists.com  

NEW YORK OFFICE:
Primo Artists LLC
244 Fifth Avenue, Suite B222
New York, NY 10001
United States

LONDON OFFICE:
Primo Artists Ltd.
Lincoln House
296-302 High Holborn
WC1V 7JH, London
United Kingdom

Photo credit: Jaime Machado 

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