António José Vassalo Neves Lourenço completed his PhD (DMA in Conducting, Orchestral Emphasis) in 2005 at the University of Cincinnati and his Master's (Master in Music in Choir and Orchestral Conducting) in 1996 at the same University, where he also taught as an Assistant Teacher. He is an Associate Professor, Head for the Conducting, Choir and Orchestra classes department, and Director of the Degree in Music at the University of Aveiro. He has been Artistic Director of the Orquestra Filarmonia das Beiras since 1999 and Assistant Conductor of the Orquestra Sinfonietta de Lisboa, of which he was co-founder in 1995. He was also Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Choir Regina Coeli between 1983 and 2008. With to these groups he has given particular attention to Portuguese music, having performed several premieres, first modern auditions and recordings of works by Portuguese composers. At the University of Cincinnati he studied Orchestration with Samuel Adler, Choir Conducting with Elmar Thomas, Earl Rivers and John Leman and Orchestra Conducting with Conductor and Composer Gerhard Samuel and Christopher Zimmerman, for whom he was Assistant Director. His musical training and activity began at age 8 at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation where he studied violin and was part of the Children's Choir. He studied singing at the Academia dos Amadores de Música with Professor Maria Amélia Abreu, having completed in 1990 the Higher Course at the National Conservatory of Lisbon in the class of Professor Filomena Amaro. He sang in several professional groups, including the Gulbenkian Choir, between 1982 and 1993, and directed several choirs in Portugal. His career as a conductor began in Coro Regina Coeli, having won prizes in international competitions with this group. He attended Choral Direction courses in Portugal, Spain, France and Belgium, where he worked with Manuel Cabero, Josep Prats (Barcelona), Erwin List (Strasbourg), Hélène Guy (Lyon), Edgar Saramago, Fernando Eldoro (Lisbon), Paul Brandevick ( Boston), Johan Duijck (Gent) and Laszlo Héltay (London) and has also conducted Orchestral Conducting studies since 1990 in Portugal, Spain and France with Octave Calleya (Romania), Jeno Rehah (Hungary), Ernst Schelle (Germany) and Jean-Sébastien Béreau (Paris). He was a student in the Conducting class of the Orquestra Metropolitana de Lisboa, under the guidance of Jean-Marc Burfin. He was founder and Assistant Conductor of the Portuguese Musical Youth Orchestra and Assistant Director of the Cincinnati Concert Orchestra. As a guest conductor, he directed several orchestras and choirs in Portugal, Spain, France and the United States of America. Since 1987, he has been teacher in several Choral Conducting Courses, he is Pedagogical Director of the International Vocal Music Course (CIMV: Choir Direction, Singing and Opera) and has been Musical Director of theatre plays. He was Artistic Director of the International Music Festival of Aveiro between 2000 and 2004 and held the position of Artistic Coordinator of the Portuguese Symphony Orchestra and of the Choir of the National Theatre of S. Carlos between 2002 and 2003. Currently he is the Artistic Director of the Music Festival in Leiria. In 2006 he created the Centro Ópera Studio, a project that has developed an important training activity and has carried out opera productions throughout the country that include, in addition to the presentation of important repertoire operas, productions in Portuguese, Portuguese opera and opera for children. He was director of the Department of Communication and Art at the University of Aveiro between 2011 and 2015.