Rui de Luna

His name came into the limelight after the enormous success reached in Budapest, with Laslo Kovacs and Budapest’s Symphonic Orchestra, in a program dedicated to the great Mozart’s Arias. Shortly after that, he signs a ten-year contract with the renowned New York’s AIM, and emerges as an international reference of the international lyric world.

Rui de Luna is a Mozartian baritone, heir of the great Italian school of lyrical singing, disciple of Claude Thiolas, Mario del Monaco, and Lauri Volpi. His latin character, sensual tone, excellent technique and rare musicality, make him into a unique artistic personality. His performances have constantly received standing ovations for his impressive presence and vibrant, expressive performances in the most important rooms all over Europe, the Far East, Brazil and the United States.

In 1996, he records his first album for BMG/RCA and becomes the first Portuguese lyrical singer to enter the world gallery of lyrical singers with a major label (rca/gold).

Recently, he headlined the festival of Alba (Italy), along with the prize Paganini Ning Feng, and his concert with the Orchestra of the State of Romania, directed by maestro Larry Vote, was memorable.

He represented Portugal in international festivals, generally accompanied by word class symphonic orchestras (China, Budapest, Romania, Rome, Portugal) and directed by maestros such as Yuang Fang (China), Larry Vote (USA), Gunther Arglebe (Germany), Lászlo Kovacs (Hungary), Rafael Lopez Montez (Spain), Matss Liyfors (Sweden), and in recital with the company of pianists such as the greatly awarded Patrizia Quarta (Verona Arena), Catherine Chu (Met New York), Stefanno Gibelatto (La Fenice Veneza), Joel Bello Soares (Brasília), Scott Rednour (New York Opera), Constance Channon Douglass (Santa Cecilia Academy and Opera of Rome), Paule Grimaldi (Lisbon), and many others.

He was distinguished with the Diploma of Artistic Merit of Brasilia (1996) and the Young Musicians of Rome Prize (Pope John Paul II). He distinguished himself and was awarded in the following international singing contests: Paris, Di Stefanno, Jaume Aragal, Mozart of Vienna and Mozart Europe.

He was Fellow for the National Theater of S. Carlos (Lisbon) and the Italian Government.

He studied in Italy at the Morello Foundation (Veneto, Venice), with Maestro Claude Thiolas from 1988 to 1992 and later at Savonna with Claudio Desderi and Renata Scotto at the Renata Scotto Opera Company. After that, he went to pursuit improvement courses in London at the Royal College and Royal Academy of Music with Thomas Allen, Ralf Gothoni and Sherril Milnes, and at the Paris Opera with Claude Thiolas.

He studied Mozartian repertoire with Paulo Valetti (Theater of Como), Eduardo Lanza (Busseto Academy), Claudio Desderi (Scotto Opera Company), Ileana Cotrubas (Palace of Mateus), and Patrizia Quarta (Arena Verona).

Among his repertoire are The Count, Giovanni, Leporello, Guglielmo (Cosi Fan Tutte), Requiem and the Coronation Mass of Mozart, Escamillo (Carmen), Amonasro (Aida), Germont (Traviatta), Marcelo (Boheme), Guglielmo (Le Villi), Verdi’s Requiem, Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy, among many others.

His passion for the lyrical-popular repertoire led him to create “Alma Latina”, which made its world premiere in 2014 in the Cloister of the Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon, in a memorable concert.

In 2015 premiered the Camoneanas, in 2016 the Amelianas, at the Music Festival of the Foundation of Casa de Bragança in Vila Viçosa and in 2019 the program D.Maria II where a concert for the celebrations of the Bicentenary of the birth of Queen D.Maria II took place.

In 2019, the Luso Concerto program premiered at Teatro São Luís to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Navy Academy.

Rui de Luna began his piano studies at the age of five, and singing at the age of sixteen. He shares another passion in music, the one piano composition, with numerous works already presented in public. He recently wrote Carta de Pêro Vaz de Caminha, which premiered at the large auditorium of Torre do Tombo, Lisbon and received the High Sponsorship of His Excellency the President of the Republic.

1992/1998 Musical Contributor (Opera) of the Centro Cultural de Belém, Lisboa (Portugal). 1998 – Voice Professor – Show” De Sol a Lua” ordered by the Spanish Ministry of Culture for the Expo 98. Premiered at the great auditorium of the CCB Lisbon, Portugal.
1999 – Musical Assistant in the concert “Festa a 3 Vozes” Festas de Lisboa production.
1999 – Musical Director and Voice Professor in the show “Maria Callas”, by Filipe La Féria – Politeama Theatre and Colosseum of Porto (Portugal).
2000 – Musical Collaborator (Opera) Opera Hall productions. – Atlantic Pavillion – Lisbon- Carmen.
2001 – Musical Collaborator (Opera) Opera Hall productions – Atlantic Pavillion – Lisbon– Aida.
2002 – Musical Collaborator (Opera) Opera Hall productions – Atlantic Pavillion – Lisbon -Traviata.
2004 – Voice Professor – Theatre “O Senhor das Flores”. VOC productions. Teatro Ibérico, Lisbon (Portugal).
2005 – Voice Professor. – Show” Camões“ TIL productions, Armando Cortez theatre, Carnide (Portugal).
2005 – Voice Professor – Show ”Concerto para dois” Fernando Curado Ribeiro – Rita Ribeiro productions – Cine Teatro Roma, Lisbon (Portugal).
2007 – Voice Professor – Show “ My Fair Lady” Takla productions Brasil (preparing the actress Amanda Acosta for the parto f Eliza Doolitle).(premiered in S. Paulo at the Teatro Alfa, Brasil).
2007 – Voice Professor -Show” De menina Cascais a Cascais menino”, Musical Society of Cascais (Portugal).
2008 – Voice Professor – Show “ A Fera Amansada” TIL productions, Teatro Armando Cortez , Carnide.(Portugal).
2009 – Voice Professor- Show “O Corcunda de Notre Dame” TIL productions, Teatro Armando Cortez, Carnide (Portugal).
2006/8 – Artistic director of the Academia dos Infantes, Cascais (Portugal).
2007/8 – Voice Professor for the MTV London presenters.
1998/2010 Musical Collaborator and Voice Professor for various actors and singers for UAU productions. Lisbon, Portugal.
2000/2014 – Voice Professor for various actors for Teatro Meridional productions, Lisbon.
2016 Julho – Master Class – A Voz dos Actores (Teatro Meridional).
2017 – A voz dos actores, John Frey actors Studio( Lisbon).

1997/2004 – Invited Professor at the Universidade Independente – 3rd year of the Art and Image Course (Voice in Communication). History of Opera and History of Music. Lisbon, Portugal).
2003/2005 Visiting Professor at the Universidade Católica do Porto (Portugal). Postgraduate course “Course of events management” (Voice in communication).
2012 May – Invited professor at the Universidade Lusófona . – Open class. “The Medieval Music”. Lisbon, Portugal).
2012 December – Invited Professor at the Universidade Lusófona -5th Seminar History of Heritage and Science. “Claude Debussy”. “The Music of Debussy”. Lisbon, Portugal).
2013 May – Visiting Professor at the Universidade Lusófona – 6th Seminar History of Heritage and Science “From the Sacred Spring to the Sacrament of Spring”, “Sacrament of the Musical Spring in Stravinsky”. Lisbon, Portugal). 2013 November Guest Professor. Open Classroom – History of Music. “The Romanticism”. Lisbon, Portugal).
2013 November Guest Professor. Open Classroom – History of Music. “The Romanticism”. Lisbon, Portugal).
2014 May Visiting Professor at Universidade Lusófona – 8th Seminar History of Heritage and Science “Camille Claudel”, “Music in the Feminine”. Lisbon, Portugal).
2015 April Seville Congress Lisbon / Seville, make History “The 8th Marquis of the Border between Lisbon / Seville / Rio de Janeiro” Closing of the Congress.
2015 April Lisbon – Palace of the Marquises of Fronteira in Benfica (Lisbon). Seminar “O Gosto” – Closing – “The 8th Marquis de Fronteira and the musical aesthetics of the Portuguese aristocracy”.
2015 May Lisbon Palace of the Marquises of Fronteira in Benfica (Lisbon) – Colloquium “The Queen D. Amélia and the 8th Marquês de Fronteira, a celebration for the arts” Closing of the Colloquium. “The 8th Marquis of Frontier’s taste of gardening in its English cultural context” Ana Duarte Rodrigues and Rui Castilho de Luna.
2016 – January – Camões Institute (Lisbon) – Music in Rio de Janeiro by D. João VI.
2016 October – National Library (Lisbon). The Opera in the Amazon.
2017 – Presentation of his book “Queen D. Amélia, a rare musical collection” Palácio das Necessidades (Lisbon), Joanina Library (Coimbra), Soares dos Reis Museum (Porto); Paço Ducal, Vila Viçosa, Museum of Music (Lisbon) .Commissioner of the Exhibition “The Education of the Princes” Paço Ducal de Vila Viçosa.

Actors Diogo Infante, Maria Rueff, José Pedro Gomes, Miguel  Seabra, Natália Luísa, Rita Ribeiro, S. José Lapa, Miguel Damião,  Miguel Costa, Miguel Guerreiro, Sofia Aparício, Ana Lúcia Palminha,  Ana Brito e Cunha, Patrícia Brito e Cunha, Ricardo Carriço, Pedro  Carmo, Filipe Duarte (Pipo), Carlos Afonso, Beto Coville, Amanda  Acosta, Núria Mencía, Bruno Nogueira, Soraia Chaves entre muitos outros.

Singers Mafalda Arnauth, Camané, Né Ladeiras, Anamar, Pilar  Homem de Mello, Dina, Hélder Moutinho, Pedro Moutinho, Amanda  Acosta, Ana Sofia Varela, Joana Amendoeira, Frederico Braga da  Costa, Joana Mello, Filipa Ruas, Rita Ribeiro, Hugo Rendas, entre muitos outros.