Pedro Ferreira
Early Life 1970 - 2017
Critically acclaimed violinist, recording artist, composer, author, life coach, entrepreneur, ocean explorer, environmentalist, hunter, firearms enthusiast and instructor. Known by his good friends as a renaissance man and living life to the fullest.
Critically acclaimed violinist, recording artist, composer, author, life coach, explorer and environmentalist, Pedro (Peter) Ferreira is described in Comunidades USA Magazine as one of the most celebrated Portuguese-born violinist of the modern era... Since a very young age, Mr. Ferreira spent his formative years training as a classical musician, surrounded by many of the violin masters of the ages... From J.S. Bach to Piazzolla, Peter's astounding energy and infectious passion along with his seasoned golden tone performances have an abundant hot Mediterranean influence, sure to captivate the audience!
Although classically trained, Pedro is equally comfortable performing classical music as he is playing rock, jazz, tango, world music or his own Portuguese folk idiom and is a rare musician who defies definition. A kind of universal musician so rarely encountered in our time . Mr. Ferreira's crossover performances include music from the classical masterpieces to pop, rock, jazz, world music and Latin repertoire to name a few and as opted to "fuse" the new and the old together. He is highly regarded as a virtuoso soloist on a symphonic stage, but equally as comfortable in front of an audience with a rock band behind him.
Mr. Ferreira was a very active violinist since the age of 6, inspired by his grandfather, also a violinist. At the age of 9 he entered the Music Conservatory in Coimbra, Portugal, where he studied with violin pedagogue Dario Peixoto. Since a very young age, he spent his formative years training as a classical musician, surrounded by many of the violin masters of the ages... In 1988, Danbury High School awards Mr. Ferreira with a Senior Orchestra Award. Mr. Ferreira has received various awards during his years in high school and while pursuing a performance degree in college. Mr. Ferreira studied with such great violinists as Mara Milkis, Erick Friedman, James Graseck and Isaac Stern. He has also participated in master classes with Pinchas Zukerman and Itzhak Perlman.
He was described by the late violinist Erick Friedman to have an “astounding energy and infectious passion…” and NYT described Mr. Ferreira as “…a seasoned violinist with an European influence, sure to captivate the audience." Mr. Ferreira is also described in Comunidades-USA Magazine as “one of the most celebrated Portuguese-born violinist of the modern era...” and Mundo Portugues Magazine described Mr. Ferreira as “One of the very rare Portuguese violinists in the United States... An emigrant of the violin"
As a soloist, Mr. Ferreira has been repeatedly praised for the beauty of is tone, the depth and flair of his musicianship, and his rare balance of virtuosity and sensitivity. He has performed as soloist with orchestras and ensembles in the United States, Canada, South America and Europe. Mr. Ferreira founded the Dresden String Quartet in 1998, and performed as its first violinist through 2002.
In April 2006, Peter Ferreira and long time friend Paulo Soares arranged and recorded various pieces of traditional Portuguese Coimbra Fado Music in his hometown Coimbra. Marking a new era in this genre of music with a combination of instruments (violin/Portuguese guitar) never done before.
In 2008, Peter Ferreira traveled to his hometown, Coimbra, per invitation of the University and Town of Coimbra, where he performed a live concert at the famous Jardim da Sereia with guitarist Paulo Soares (Port. guitar). Later that year, composer Don Nardo, composed a double concerto for violin, guitar and orchestra, introducing the Portuguese Guitar into a pure classical setting for the first time and dedicated it to Mr. Ferreira.
Unfortunately due to a serious accident and injury to his left hand on September 8 2017, Peter Ferreira is no longer performing or teaching music.
A New Chapter
2017 - Present Time
Entrepreneur, ocean explorer, environmentalist, hunter, firearms enthusiast & instructor, life skills facilitator.
Known by his good friends as a renaissance man and living life to the fullest.
Due to a serious accident and injury to his left hand on September 8 2017, Mr. Ferreira had to undergo seven surgeries and two years of physical therapy to his left hand...
Unfortunately, his music career was now over due to the serious injuries..
Fortunately, Pedro had great support from his family and a strong spirit and by the grace of God he was able to "grab the bull by its horns" and start a new chapter in his life.
