Founded in 2006, the DSCH – Shostakovich Ensemble is regarded as one of the leading musical groups on the current international scene. 

Based in Lisbon since its creation by its artistic director Filipe Pinto-Ribeiro, the DSCH is a variable-geometry ensemble and a platform for the meeting and collaboration of outstanding musicians.

It is named after the composer Dmitri Shostakovich, in tribute to him on the occasion of the centenary of his birth in 2006, the same year in which the Ensemble began its activity. Since then, it has performed in numerous seasons and festivals across Europe, the USA, and Australia.

The Ensemble’s vast repertoire includes works by composers from various eras and musical styles — from Beethoven to Schumann, from Mozart to Messiaen, from Haydn to Webern, from Brahms to Ravel, from Shostakovich to Sofia Gubaidulina, with whom the Ensemble established a close artistic collaboration.

The DSCH has featured many outstanding guest musicians, such as Pascal Moraguès, Esther Hoppe, Christian Poltéra, Lars Anders Tomter, Corey Cerovsek, Tedi Papavrami, Gary Hoffman, Gérard Caussé, Adrian Brendel, Jack Liebeck, Kyril Zlotnikov, Liza Ferschtman, among many others.

Since 2006, some of the Shostakovich Ensemble’s concerts have been recorded and broadcast by RTP Antena 2 and the French television channel Mezzo.

In 2018, the Ensemble established the DSCH – Shostakovich Ensemble Ensemble Composition Prize, created to honour the work and careers of leading Portuguese composers. Luís Tinoco, Eurico Carrapatoso, Andreia Pinto-Correia, and Sérgio Azevedo were awarded the prize in 2019, 2021, 2023, and 2024, respectively.

The Ensemble’s discography includes the world premiere recording of the Complete Chamber Music for Piano and Strings by Shostakovich, as well as Beethoven’s Trios Op. 11 and Op. 38 (Paraty/Harmonia Mundi) — albums acclaimed by both the national and international specialist press.