Natanael Ferreira, viola

Born in Brazil, Natanael Ferreira began his musical studies on the piano at the age of nine. He then turned to the viola, which he started learning on his own with the help of his uncle, a conductor. Shortly after joining the Youth Orchestra of Goiás, he toured Europe as principal violist and subsequently received a scholarship to study at the academy of the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra.

In 2013, he won 1st Prize at the Festival de Inverno de Campos do Jordão in Brazil. The following year, he joined the class of Miguel da Silva at the Haute École de Musique de Genève, where he obtained both a Bachelor’s degree and a Soloist Master’s degree. He also studied chamber music with Gábor Takács.

In 2015, he won several prizes at the Maurice Ravel International Academy, followed by 3rd Prize at the Rahn Musikpreis (viola) in 2018 and 2nd Prize (viola) at VERÃO CLÁSSICO in 2021. He was a member of the Verbier Festival Orchestra in 2016 and regularly performs with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande.

He has been invited to perform at renowned festivals and concert series such as La Belle Saison and Les Folles Journées de Nantes. During the 2018–2019 season, he released his first recording with clarinetist Vitor Fernandes and pianist Elio Coria.

He has appeared as a soloist in Harold in Italy by Berlioz with the Brussels Philharmonic, in Alfred Schnittke’s Viola Concerto in Geneva, and in a concerto for string quartet and orchestra with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, where he was the violist of the quartet.

An active chamber musician, he regularly performs with Miguel da Silva, Augustin Dumay, Gary Hoffman, Frank Braley, Régis Pasquier, Henri Demarquette, Lorenzo Gatto, Heinz Holliger, Marc Coppey, and Ilya Gringolts. His forthcoming album, devoted to the piano quartets of Gabriel Fauré and George Enescu, is a collaboration with Corina Belcea.

He is also a conductor. Since 2016, he has participated in the Verbier Festival and has been a member of the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra. More recently, he joined the Utopia Orchestra conducted by Teodor Currentzis, with which he tours and records across Europe.

Natanael is now an Associate Artist at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel.
He receives a scholarship offered by an anonymous donor.