BIOGRAPHY

Portuguese mezzo-soprano Rita Filipe is currently studying lyric singing with Élène Golgevit, following two years of study with Chantal Mathias at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris, France. She previously studied singing at the Conservatório Nacional de Música de Lisboa with António Wagner Diniz from 2019 to 2022, completing the programme with the highest possible grade. She holds a degree in Theatre – Acting from the Escola Superior de Teatro e Cinema.

Since 2019, Rita has collaborated as a soloist with ensembles and orchestras including Il Gardellino, conducted by Peter Van Heyghen; La Grande Chapelle, conducted by Albert Recasens; Ensemble Bonne Corde, directed by Diana Vinagre; Músicos do Tejo, conducted by Marcos Magalhães; the Helsinki Baroque Orchestra; Ensemble MPMP, conducted by Jan Wierzba; Orquestra de Câmara Portuguesa, conducted by Pedro Carneiro; Orquestra Académica de Lisboa, conducted by Tiago Oliveira; Divino Sospiro, conducted by Massimo Mazzeo; and Orquestra das Beiras, conducted by Aarón Zapico.

She made her operatic debut at OperaFest Lisboa, participating in Maratona I, a competition featuring contemporary operas by Portuguese composers. In the summer of 2026, she performed the role of Cherubino in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro at OperaFest Lisboa, in a production directed by Mónica Garnel and conducted by Pedro Carneiro. Her recent operatic work also includes the role of Orfeo in Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice at the Olga Cadaval Auditorium; roles in Pergolesi’s Lo frate ’nnamorato at Musiikkitalo in Helsinki, Finland; the Second Lady in Mozart’s The Magic Flute at the Gulbenkian Grand Auditorium; Maddalena in Rossini’s Il viaggio a Reims at the Centro Cultural de Belém; and Suor Infermiera in Puccini’s Suor Angelica.

In concert, Rita has performed Bach’s St John Passion, Mozart’s Requiem, Vivaldi’s Gloria, and the role of Žofka in Janáček’s song cycle The Diary of One Who Disappeared.

As a chorister, she participated in the OperaFest Lisboa productions of Puccini’s Tosca and Madama Butterfly. In France, Rita currently collaborates regularly with Ensemble Pygmalion, directed by Raphaël Pichon. She has also been a member of the Coro Gulbenkian, Nova Era Vocal Ensemble, and Ensemble Vocal Aura. With Nova Era Vocal Ensemble, she has had the opportunity to work with Daniel Reuss, Joseph Vila, and Bernie Sherlock.

In 2022, Rita recorded and performed with Ensemble MPMP the winning works of the Prémios Musa 22 competition, dedicated to the composition of contemporary works. In 2024, Rita recorded José Joaquim dos Santos’s Responsórios de Sexta-Feira Santa with the Real Câmara Baroque Orchestra for Passacaille Records.

Rita Filipe has also participated in masterclasses with Léa Sarfati, Christian Hilz, and Andrea De Carlo.

Alongside her work in classical music, Rita Filipe has regularly performed with the TEMA Group in the production Dois Dedos de Poesia and in theatre productions.

In 2026, Rita launched the ChamaRita project, through which she released her first EP, Ir sem Voltar.