Antonio Saiote

António Saiote studied clarinet at the Lisbon National Conservatory under Professor Marcos Romão dos Reis. After being awarded a Gulbenkian Foundation scholarship, he continued his studies in Paris under Guy Deplus and Jacques Lancelot. In Munich, he obtained a Meisterdiplom from the Hochschule, under Gerd Starke. In Spain, he specialized in conducting 20th-century music at the University of Alcalá de Henares, with Spanish conductor and music teacher Arturo Tamayo. He also attended seminars under George Hurst in Canford, England. He has won several awards including the Karol Kurpinski competition (Poland), as well as first prize in both the Arts et Idées competition, and the Nouvelles Valeurs de la Culture competition. He has been a soloist and guest musician with various orchestras and chamber groups. He is currently the director of the Portuguese Clarinet Ensemble. He plays chamber music in duo with pianist Pedro Burmester.

He has internationally premiered pieces from Portuguese and foreign composers. Luciano Berio, Luciano Pavarotti, Klaus Thunemann, and Karl Leister are among the many personalities who have publicly expressed their admiration for him. He was also assistant conductor with the Inter-Regional Orchestra in Bad-Wuttenberg alongside conductor Nicolas Pasquet. He has also conducted the Orchestre Symphonique de Jeunes, the Orchestre Invicta, the Orchestre National de Porto, the Orchestre Symphonique Portugais, the Philharmonique des Beiras, and at French training school ESMAE. Critics have hailed him as "proof that an excellent clarinetist can also be an excellent conductor."

He has given master classes in Germany, Brazil, Chile, Poland, France, China, Macao, Belgium, Hungary, India and Spain. He has been president of the jury for the Setubal and Gaia competitions, the Valentino Bucchi Prize (Rome) and jury member for the Oktav Poppa, Toulon and Seville competitions. He currently heads the clarinet degree program at French training school ESMAE. He is also president of the Portuguese Clarinet Association, and artistic director of the Solistes de Porto. His concerts in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Belgium, France, Germany, England, China, India, USA, to name but a few, have earned him a number of enthusiastic reviews.

In addition to his solo work, he is a member of the Porto Academic Orchestra.