Always fascinated by singer-instrumentalists from Antiquity to modern times, Ricardo Leitão Pedro is one of the few performers today to revive the early practice of cantor al liuto, accompanying himself on different plucked string instruments (medieval-renaissance lute, theorbo, baroque guitar).

Born in Porto, he first picked up the lute at eighteen-years old, inspired by a concert of Hespérion XXI and encouraged by his classical guitar teacher Pedro Fesch.
A year later he’s accepted for a bachelor degree in early music at ESMAE (Porto), during which he was granted an Erasmus scholarship to study with lutenist Eugène Ferré during his last year of teaching at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et Danse de Lyon.

A fixed member of  I Discordanti (EEEmerging ensemble 2016; concerts in Switzerland, Italy and France) and Concerto di Margherita (EEEmerging ensemble 2017, singer-instrumentalists; tour in Italy, concerts in Switzerland), he’s also invited to perform regularly with different ensembles and baroque orchestras (Troxalida, La Boz Galana, Agamémnon, Capella Sanctae Crucis, Orquestra XXI, Concerto Ibérico, Cappella Genevensis).
He gave solo recitals in Porto, Lisbon, Delémont and Basel and earned a 2nd prize (1st non-attributed) at the JIMA competition (Portugal) for chamber music in duo with lutenist Guilherme Barroso.

Along the years, Ricardo has had the opportunity to learn from singers such as Gerd Türk, Patrizia Bovi and Kathleen Dineen and lutenists Paul O’Dette, Eduardo Egüez, Hopkinson Smith and Rolf Lislevand.

He’s currently based in Basel, where he pursues a master degree at the renowned Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in medieval and renaissance singing with Dominique Vellard and lute with Crawford Young, with a special focus on historical improvisation techniques.

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