Orquestra Juvenil Metropolitana
Born in Lisbon, Jorge Camacho is Principal Clarinetist of the Orquestra Metropolitana de Lisboa, conductor of the Plano de Intervenção Municipal da Música da Câmara Municipal de Loures. He was guest conductor of the rquestra Clássica do Sul, assistant conductor to Jean-Sébastien Béreau and Pedro Amaral, and had the opportunity to conduct the Orquestra Metropolitana de Lisboa. He regularly conducts youth orchestra workshops, such as the St. Julians School Orchestra Festival, the Orquestra do Conservatório Regional do Algarve Workshop, the Conservatório de Música da Metropolitana Summer Workshop, and the Orquestra do Festival Internacional de Palhetas Duplas de Lisboa.
He has taught at some of the best conservatories and music schools in the country, such as the Academia Nacional Superior de Orquestra, Universidade de Évora, Escola de Música do Conservatório Nacional, Escola Profissional da Metropolitana, Conservatório de Música da Metropolitana, a Academia de Música de Alcobaça, o Conservatório Regional de Setúbal, a Academia de Música de Almada e o Conservatório de Música de Almada, where he served as Pedagogical Director.
He graduated from the Academia Nacional Superior de Orquestra with a grade of 19 in the clarinet classes of professors Nuno Silva and Etienne Lamaison. He studied Orchestral Conducting with maestro Jean-Marc Burfin at the same institution, while also developing his training with maestros such as Peter Eötvös, Emilio Pomàrico, António Saiote and Pedro Neves. He has taken several masterclasses with some of today’s best clarinettists, including António Saiote, Michel Arrignon, Paul Meyer, Philipe Couper, Gui Deplus and Juan Ferrer, among others.
As a clarinetist, he has won several national awards, notably the National Competition for Young Clarinetists in 1999. In the same year, he was selected as Soloist A of the Orquestra Filarmonia das Beiras. He has performed as a soloist with the Orquestra Metropolitana de Lisboa, Orquestra Académica Metropolitana , and the Orquestra Filarmonia das Beiras. He has collaborated with some of the leading Portuguese orchestras, as well as with the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas, with which he toured the United States. He participated in the production of the opera Otello with the Swedish company Opera Fabriken, performing several recitals in Scandinavia. He has given recitals representing Portugal at various international clarinetist conferences and meetings. He was Principal Clarinetist of the Navy Band between 1996 and 2006.