Biography

 João Carlos Victor is a guitarist, chamber musician, educator and artistic researcher whose work spans historical performance practice, contemporary music, solo performance and interdisciplinary collaboration. He is Professor of Guitar and Chamber Music at the LUCA School of Arts (Lemmensinstituut) in Belgium, while maintaining an active international career as a performer and teacher.

As a prizewinner of numerous international competitions, including the Francisco Tárrega International Guitar Competition (2015) and the Vienna International Music Competition (2021), João has performed and taught at renowned festivals, concert series, universities, and radio and television programmes across Europe and South America, including in Switzerland, Norway, Spain, Brazil, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Portugal and Romania.

His artistic profile is characterized by a broad and diverse approach to the guitar repertoire. His debut CD, Guitar Recital, was released by Naxos in 2016 and received critical acclaim. The programme ranges from Renaissance music, including three chromatic fantasies by John Dowland, to contemporary repertoire, including the first recording of Répéter by Paulo Rios Filho, composed in 2014. In 2023, he released his second album, I Call to You, on JSM Records, featuring his own transcriptions of works by Johann Sebastian Bach and Robert de Visée.

Contemporary music is an important part of João's artistic practice. He has collaborated closely with composers including Sofia Gubaidulina, Paulo Costa Lima, Wellington Gomes, Leonardo Boccia and Paulo Rios Filho, resulting in performances, premieres and new repertoire for the guitar. Répéter, the result of a collaboration with Paulo Rios Filho, was awarded at the X Boston GuitarFest Composition Competition (USA) in 2015.

At the same time, João has developed a strong interest in Early Music and historical performance practice, studying with specialists including lutenists Peter Croton and Julian Behr and harpsichordist Bettina Seeliger. He has further attended special courses and masterclasses with internationally renowned musicians such as Paul O'Dette, Eduardo Egüez, Marieke Spaans and the Maccari–Pugliese duo, whose work focuses on nineteenth-century guitar repertoire.

His work therefore moves between different musical worlds: from Renaissance and Baroque repertoire to nineteenth-century performance practice and newly created contemporary music; from solo performance to chamber music and collaboration with composers; and from the concert stage to teaching, mentoring and artistic research. This diversity is also reflected in his academic background. João holds master's degrees in Musicology, Music Performance and Specialized Musical Performance – Soloist (Soloist Diploma) from the University of Bern, the Musikhochschule Basel, the Musikhochschule Luzern and the Musikhochschule Nürnberg.