Our Maestro

The current Maestro of the Coro dos Amigos is Antonio Manuel Maria de Jesus, who took over the role in 2015. Here is an outline of his impressive musical career.

António started his musical studies at the Seminário de S. José in Faro and went on studying in the Conservatório Regional do Algarve, "Maria Campina".

Later he studied choral directing with Edgar Saramago, then with Hubert Velten and Josef Stoiber, both of whom are professors of the university of Regensburg, Germany. He also studied vocal technique with Lúcia Lemos and attended several masterclasses with Ana Ester Neves, Rui Baeta and Birgit Wegemann.

He was co-founder of the Grupo Coral Ossónoba in 1980, first as an assistant Maestro, then in 1992 taking over the role of Maestro of the choir. He founded and conducted the choir of the "Pequenos Cantores d'Ossónoba" as well as the Chamber choir of the Coro Ossónoba and the Coro Juvenil, and conducted the Coro da Sé Catedral of Faro for many years. During this time, he also instructed leaders and conductors of liturgical choirs of the Algarvian diocese, being also part of their department of liturgical music.

He was artistic director of many choral festivals in the Algarve, touring with his choirs to Spain, France, Holland, Switzerland and Brazil, as well as choral meetings throughout the country.
António participated in various concerts with the Orquestra Clássica do Sul: Christmas concerts, Carmina Burana (Carl Orff), the Messiah (Handel). He has conducted works of many composers, countries and areas, the most outstanding of which, for him, were the Coronation Mass (Mozart), West Side Story (Bernstein) and The Sound of Music (Rodgers and Hammerstein).