Clarinetes Ad Libitum is one of Portugal’s most distinctive chamber music ensembles, recognized for an artistic identity that blends virtuosic skill, theatrical imagination, and a uniquely free approach to repertoire. The group was founded in July 1998 by four clarinet students from the Escola Superior de Música e Artes do Espetáculo in Porto, originally under the name Quarteto Gingão.

In February 2000, with the addition of percussion and voice and an expanded aesthetic vision, the ensemble adopted the name Clarinetes Ad Libitum, placing the clarinet at the core of a project open to diverse formations, languages, and performative contexts.

Today, the ensemble consists of Nuno Pinto, José Ricardo Freitas, Luís Filipe Santos, Tiago Abrantes, and Luís Felipe Santiago, combining different clarinets, percussion, and voice with expressive flexibility and aesthetic freedom. Their work navigates the space between concert hall and theatrical performance, reinventing traditional repertoire while creating original scenic-musical objects.

Throughout their career, Clarinetes Ad Libitum has participated in events such as the “Clarinete à Volta do Côa” series, “ClarmeetOporto,” and the commemorative 20th-anniversary concert at Casa da Música. Their discography includes Contradanza (2011) and Desconcerto (2018), the latter extending the ensemble’s distinctive performative language—full of humor and theatricality—into recorded form.