Raquel Couto

Born in Porto where she graduated in Music Education at the Escola Superior de Educação. She sang in several choirs including the Ensemble Vocal Pro Musica (conductor José Manuel Pinheiro) and the Chamber Choir of the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa (conductor Paulo Lourenço).

Conducted her studies in Choral Direction with maestro Paulo Lourenço at the Escola Superior de Música in Lisbon having participated in courses in the cities of Évora, Lisbon, Aveiro, London and Barcelona, ​​where she worked with maestros Stephen Coker, Eugene Rogers, Paul Caldwell, Werner Pfaff, Brett Scott, Paul McCreesh, Greg Beardsell, Elisenda Carrasco, Esteve Nabona and Maria Guinand.
In 2012 she participated in the “Write an Opera” course at the Royal Opera House (London).
In the academic year 2014-2015 she belongs to the X Musical Animators Course at Casa da Música where she worked with different communities in the city of Porto and with teachers from the GuildHall School of Music (Tim Steiner, Sam Mason, Paul Griffiths and Pete Letanka).
Since 2012 she directs the Vocalizze Festival Mini Choir annually. She was founder and conductor of SHINE – Gospel Choir in Lisbon.
She taught the choir classes of the Musical Foundation of Friends of Children (FMAC Lisboa) and was responsible for the musical direction of the theater group “EmCena” staged by Pedro Lamares, from the Fernandes Fão Music Academy, in Vila Praia de Âncora.
She currently teaches the Youth and Children’s Choir classes at the Regional Conservatory of Music in Vila Real. She directs the Children’s Choir and Adult Choir of the music academy A Pauta – Porto, the Choir of the Geração – Gondomar Orchestra.
She is the founder and artistic director of Coro Lira (Casa das Artes do Porto).