Winner of more than 40 international prizes, Francisco Luís is one of the most acclaimed Portuguese guitarists of his generation. Francisco Luís was born in Caldas da Rainha on July 22nd, 1998. He started his studies at the age of 10 at the Conservatory of Caldas da Rainha with Professor Luís Roldão. After studying for 5 years in his hometown, he took the entrance examinations to the Music School of the National Conservatory in Lisbon, where he was admitted and began studies with Eurico Pereira. In addition to his focus on solo guitar, Francisco learned analysis and compositional techniques with the composers Daniel Schvetz and Eurico Carrapatoso.
In 2015, he played the emblematic Concierto de Aranjuez by J. Rodrigo with the symphonic orchestra from the National Conservatory of Lisbon, in the Cinema/Theater São Jorge. After finishing his studies in Lisbon, Francisco Luís was accepted at the Maastricht Conservatorium, where he began his bachelor’s degree with Carlo Marchione. After finishing his studies in Maastricht with distinction (10/10), Francisco then moved to Den Haag, where he completed his master’s degree at the Royal Conservatory with Professor Zoran Dukic.
Francisco has performed in more than 10 different countries, including some renowned halls in Europe, such as Musikverein (Wien), Casa da Música (Porto), Palácio da Ajuda (Lisbon), National Theater of Belgrade (Serbia), and more.
Francisco Luís has won awards at many international competitions, including 20 first prizes. Among these, Francisco received 1st prize at the Iserlohn International Guitar Festival, 1st prize at the Viseu International Guitar Festival, 1st prize at the Florida Guitar Foundation, 1st prize at the Aalborg International Guitar Festival, 1st prize at the Albania International Guitar Festival, and 2nd prize (1st not awarded) in the renowned Koblenz International Guitar Competition (Hubbert Kappel). Francisco has also very recently received the 4th prize in the Guitar Foundation of America and 2nd prize in the Tokyo International Guitar Festival, two of the most prestigious competitions in the history of classical guitar.
In 2020, Francisco became a member of EuroStrings, the first Portuguese guitarist to be a part of this program. During this project, Francisco has toured around Europe, where he performed solo concerts, gave masterclasses, and participated in several musical activities, attending some of the most important festivals in the classical guitar community.
Francisco’s performing skills and deep interpretations have touched many diverse audiences, presenting a wide variety of styles in his repertoire, showcasing fresh features such as classical improvisation, arrangements, and compositions of his own. Carlo Marchione, the renowned Italian guitarist, has stated, “Francisco embodies all the qualities expected of a great musician, not least the ability, impossible to learn (but the result of a precious and rare natural talent), to perform his music with a touching sense of inevitability and naturalness.”