Ana Hespanha (Lisbon, 1996) began studying the cello at the age of eleven through Orquestra Geração, a Portuguese project based on the El Sistema model. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the Academia Nacional Superior de Orquestra, where she studied with Paulo Gaio Lima, and a master’s degree in Performance from the Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel, under the guidance of Jeroen Reuling.
Ana has collaborated with renowned orchestras such as Orquestra Gulbenkian, Orquestra Metropolitana de Lisboa, Orquestra de Câmara Portuguesa, and the Sistema Europa Youth Orchestra. She has had the privilege of working with distinguished conductors, including Daniel Barenboim, Gustavo Dudamel, Michael Zilm, Emilio Pomàrico, and Jean-Sébastien Béreau. In Belgium, she is a member of ensembles such as the Young Belgian Strings and the Koinonia Orchestra of Europe.
As a soloist, Ana has performed major works including Dvořák’s Cello Concerto, Saint-Saëns’ Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, and Vivaldi’s Concerto for Two Cellos. A passionate chamber musician, she frequently performs in piano trios and string quartets. As a founding member of Quarteto Ibéria, she has worked with esteemed musicians such as Isabel Charisius (Alban Berg Quartet), Jonathan Brown (Cuarteto Casals), and Kyril Zlotnikov (Jerusalem Quartet). She is also a founding member of Trio Avenoir.
Her artistic development has been mentored by prominent cellists, including Maria Kliegel, Johannes Moser, Márcio Carneiro, Ophélie Gaillard, Maria de Macedo, Daniel Grosgurin, and Mats Lidström.
In addition to her performing career, Ana is committed to music education and social outreach, contributing to projects like Orquestra Geração and Orquestra de Cordas da Ajuda.
She currently performs on a cello crafted by Francesco Coquoz, generously loaned to her by Strings For Talent, a fund under the patronage of the King Baudouin Foundation.
