He is currently Principal Clarinet of the Orquestra Sinfónica do Porto Casa da Música and Head Professor of Clarinet at the Escola Superior de Artes Aplicadas de Castelo Branco.
He began his career as a Clarinet Teacher at the age of 16 at the Conservatório Regional de Música de Castelo Branco.
He was a Guest Artist and Professor at Arizona State University (USA) in 2009 and 2010.
He completed the Complementary Music Course at the Conservatório Regional de Música de Castelo Branco through an articulated teaching program.
He pursued higher education at ESMAE under Professor António Saiote and earned the Prix de Perfectionnement à l'Unanimité du Jury at the Conservatoire Supérieur de Région de Versailles under Professor Philippe Cuper.
He is a doctoral candidate in Education at Universidade Lusófona in Lisbon.
He became an Adjunct Professor through public examinations at IPCB in 2005.
He earned the Title of Specialist in 2012.
He served as Artistic Director of the Festival Internacional de Música de Paços de Brandão from 2009 to 2012.
As part of Guimarães 2012 – European Capital of Culture, in the Master Pieces cycle, he was invited to be the soloist for the world premiere of Mário Laginha’s Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra.
In 2013, he was appointed to the jury of the Direção Geral das Artes in the field of Music.
In 2015, at the Gala Concert of the World Clarinet Congress in Madrid, he performed as soloist alongside Philippe Cuper and the Banda Sinfónica de Madrid in the premiere of González Moreno’s work “Lara.”
In 2016, he was the Portuguese soloist presenting Craiova, Romania’s bid for European Capital of Culture, performing solo with the Orquestra Sinfonica de Ontélia in the grand European Seasons cycle.
In 2017, he performed as soloist with the Banda Paramense at the Gala Concert of the European Clarinet Congress in Porto.
In 2018, he performed and recorded on CD Mário Laginha’s Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra with the Orquestra Gulbenkian de Lisboa.
In 2019, in Paris, he was awarded the Prix Musique Classique by the Institut du Monde Lusophone.
In December 2019, June 2020, and April 2024, he performed as soloist with the Orquestra Sinfónica do Porto Casa da Música in the Grande Sala Suggia.
In 2021, he founded the Festival Internacional de Clarinete de Castelo Branco, of which he remains Artistic Director to this day.
In 2023, he was honored with the Medal of Cultural Merit by the Nisa Municipal Council.
In 2024, he performed as soloist during the Year of Portugal at Casa da Música with the Orquestra Sinfónica do Porto, interpreting Mário Laginha’s Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra.
He has been awarded in the most important national competitions, including 1st Prize at the Prémio Jovens Músicos, 1st Prize at Juventude Musical Portuguesa, and 1st Prize at the Concurso do Festival Internacional Costa Verde.
He has also been awarded at the International Competition of Rome and the Aurelian Octav Popa International Competition in Romania, quickly establishing an intensive solo and chamber music career that has expanded internationally to countries such as the USA, Russia, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Norway, France, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg, Romania, Macau, Brazil, among others.
He has performed as soloist with the Orquestra Sinfónica do Porto Casa da Música, Orquestra Gulbenkian de Lisboa, Orquestra Clássica da Madeira, Orquestra Sinfónica Portuguesa, Orquestra Nacional do Porto, Orquestra Clássica do Porto, Orquestra Sinfonietta de Castelo Branco, Orquestra Clássica do Centro, Orquestra de Câmara Portuguesa, Orquestra do Sul, Orquestra Artave, Orquestra Sinfónica de Constanza in Romania, Orquestra Sinfonica de Ontélia in Romania, Orquestra J. Futura in Italy, Orquestra Templários, Banda Sinfónica de Madrid, Banda da Guarda Nacional Republicana, Banda Sinfónica Portuguesa, Banda Sinfónica da Branca, and Banda Paramense.
He has over 50 CDs throughout his career. In his CD recorded in the USA, “Recital in the West” (2010), alongside renowned pianist Caio Pagano, the American press praised it as the best interpretation of Brahms’ First Sonata: “This is undoubtedly the best version of Brahms’ Sonata I have ever heard. Carlos Alves draws a beautiful and superb sound from the clarinet, with an excellent sense of musical phrasing throughout the entire work” (Arizona Republic, July 2010).
He recorded Mozart’s Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra with the Orquestra Clássica da Madeira for the Emi Classics label.
At the Teatro Nacional de São João, Carlos Piçarra Alves provided live music for “Figurantes” by Jacinto Lucas Pires and “D. Juan” by Molière, and also participated in “Sombras,” a production directed by Ricardo Pais.
Carlos Piçarra Alves is a Buffet Crampon and Vandoren artist and is internationally recognized as one of the most important clarinetists of his generation.
