Hugo Assunção

Hugo Assunção was born in Vestiaria (Alcobaça) in 1969 and started his musical studies with his father when he was 6 years old. He started playing the trombone as member of the local wind band, Sociedade Filarmónica Vestiariense.

In 1983 Hugo started studying at the Conservatório Nacional de Música. 

While a student, he was selected for several youth orchestras - Orquestra Portuguesa da Juventude, Orquestra Sinfónica Juvenil and Mediterranean Youth Orchestra and started freelancing with professional orchestras since he was 17 years old. Since then he was invited to play with Orquestra da Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian; Orquestra Régie Sinfonia; Orquestra Clássica do Porto; Orquestra do Teatro Nacional de São Carlos; Orquestra Clássica da Madeira; Orquestra do Algarve; Orquestra Sinfonietta de Lisboa; Orquestra Metropolitana de Lisboa; Orquestra Sinfónica do Porto Casa da Música; Sinfonia Varsóvia Orchestra; Orquestra de Jazz de Matosinhos and Hot Clube de Portugal Jazz Orchestra.

He won the position of Principal Trombone with the Orquestra do Teatro Nacional de São Carlos in 1988 and became a member of Orchestrutópica, between 2001 and 2012.

Hugo founded several brass groups, such as the Hot Brass de Portugal, Decateto de Metais de Lisboa, Ensemble Português de Trombones, Quinteto Português de Metais and Quinteto de Metais da Orquestra Sinfónica Portuguesa.

In 1997 he created a publication that was distributed for more than 300 trombone players all around Portugal - the Jornal do Núcleo de Trombonistas da APPIS, the first brass focused journal ever created in the country.

Hugo was a teacher at Universidade de Évora, Universidade de Aveiro, Escola Superior de Música do Porto, Escola Profissional de Música de Espinho and Escola Profissional Gualdim Pais/Tomar, and promoted several masterclasses with trombonists such as Conrad Herwig; Ed Neumeister; Joseph Alessi; Massimo La Rosa; Filipe Alves; Justin Clark and João Martinho, among others. He taught several masterclasses all over the country and abroad. 

He was Musical Director of The BellsBrass Ensemble; Orquestra de Sopros da Universidade de Évora and Alentejo Brass Connection, and participated in several recording projects as member of the Orquestra Sinfónica Portuguesa; Hot Clube de Portugal Jazz Orchestra; Orquestra da Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian and Orchestrutópica, among others. 

In 2006 Hugo recorded a CD with music for trombone and piano - Vox Gabrieli and another one as leader of the Ensemble Português de Trombones - A Different Era.

In 2012 he recorded a double CD with Mr SC & The Wild Bones Gang, that won the 2014 Roger Bobo Award Prize for Excellence in Recording.

In 2014 he recorded a second Project with Mr SC & The Wild Bones Gang, participating as soloist with Eugene Pokorny (Chicago Symphony Orchestra), Shimpei Tsugita (Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra), Eijiro Nakagawa (trombone soloist) and Demondrae Thurman (Sotto Voce Quartet).

In 2016 Hugo recorded with Crossfade Ensemble, a project by Daniel Bernardes (piano), with João Barradas (acordeon), Sérgio Carolino (tuba), Ricardo Toscano (saxophone/clarinet), Jeffrey Davis (vibraphone) and Mário Marques (saxophone). 

In 2016 he recorded a CD leading The BellsBrass Ensemble, with Sérgio Carolino as soloist.

In 2017, Hugo recorded a CD as Musical Director of Massive Brass Attack, Pocket Change, with Sérgio Carolino and Nimrod Ron (Iceland Symphony Orchestra). 

In 2018 he produced and recorded a double CD with chamber music by Anne Victorino d’Almeida in which, beyond recording the composer’s Sonata for Trombone and Not a Fugue (with Sérgio Carolino), he conducted The BellsBrass Ensemble for the piece that entitles the double recording, A Sombra dos Sentidos.

In 2018 he participated in a CD as Musical Director of the ESML Brass Crew, Effervescence, accompanying Sérgio Carolino (tuba) and James Thompson (trumpet) as soloists.

Together with Sérgio Carolino, he is Artistic Director of the acclaimed Gravíssimo! Festival.

Hugo is the head of the Brass Chamber Music Department in Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa.

Hugo Assunção is the Musical Director of ESML Brass Crew, a project he created and that includes all the brass and percussion students from Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa, and Musical Director of Mr. SC & the Wild Bones Gang, a project created by Sérgio Carolino, in which he shares the Artistic Direction.

He is a founding member of 100 Caminhos, recording its first CD, Roots and Routes, in 2023.

Hugo Assunção is, since 1993, Principal Trombone of the Orquestra Sinfónica Portuguesa.