Eduardo Sorte is a musician and a student in the Sound and Image undergraduate program at the School of Arts of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa. He highlights the Católica as decisive in his education, providing academic and creative experiences that allow him to explore different artistic languages and develop new projects. At the same time, he attends the Porto Music Conservatory and has accumulated diverse artistic experiences. In this interview, he shares his journey as an artist, the importance of education, the role of music in his life, and his musical plans for 2026.

How did music enter your life?

Music gradually emerged in my life until it took on the fundamental place it holds today. It was the practice of composition that led me to relate more deeply to music. When I realized the sense of relief and release that composing brought me, I understood that music was far more important in my life than I had thought. When I began orchestrating my songs, around the age of 12, I quickly developed an interest in exploring other instruments and understanding their languages so I could use them in my arrangements.

How have you built yourself as an artist?

I believe that building oneself as an artist cannot be separated from building one’s own identity as an individual. The music I play, interpret, study, and compose has always been a reflection of who I am and what I seek internally. I completely agree with Quincy Jones when he says: “Your music will never be more or less than what you are as a human being.”

In this sense, the time I dedicate to reading, listening to interviews with people I admire, exposing myself to culture, and constantly questioning what I call my “certainties” are processes that enrich me both as a human being and as an artist.

In what way is education fundamental on that path?

My first steps, at an academy such as Valentim de Carvalho, were enriching and decisive. From a performance perspective, learning to collaborate in large teams and being part of heterogeneous shows outside my comfort zone was crucial. I would also highlight the Escola do Rock de Paredes de Coura, where I took part in artistic residencies for several years.

In the academic world, the School of Arts of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa and the Sound and Image degree had an immense impact on me, bringing me into contact with people, works, and inspiring paths that point to the need to continue my studies in order to keep growing on all these levels.

“It is a course that offers us a rich landscape of different art forms, leading us to discover new artistic paths and possibilities.”

What has marked you most in your degree?

The plurality of projects involving different techniques, artistic media, and ways of thinking has been extremely enriching. Theoretical courses such as Art History, Contemporary Thought, Media Theory, Iconography, and Semiotics have had a huge impact on me and on my understanding of the world and of art.

It is a course that offers us a rich landscape of different art forms, along with the theoretical and historical foundations behind them, and an implicit deconditioning that leads us to discover new artistic paths and possibilities, merging everything we learn.

Is there any project developed during your degree that has marked you in a special way?

It is difficult to choose from the many projects I have been involved in. One of the works that marked me most during my degree was Project 4, developed as a group project under the supervision of professors Marcelo Reis and Lorena Alves. It truly involved several different spheres, including music, programming, construction, material selection, and installation assembly.

It was a project that challenged us on many levels but became a major learning experience. It was publicly exhibited in the MOCAP room at Universidade Católica, where we welcomed people from both inside and outside the University.

“I try to explore within myself what is universal to the human experience: feelings of passion, longing, joy, solitude, hope, existential questions…”

At the same time, you study at the Porto Music Conservatory and have had several performance experiences. How do you manage these different demands and rhythms?

It is managed with passion — you really have to love what you do and see each project as more exciting than burdensome. It also requires time management and clearly defined priorities. Sometimes it is complicated to reconcile all tasks, which forces me to work as far in advance as possible. Still, I can no longer see myself living any other way.

How would you describe your work? What themes do you explore, and which languages or styles do you most identify with?

I like to look at my work as a portrait. I try to explore within myself what is universal to the human experience: feelings of passion, longing, joy, solitude, hope, existential questions.

In terms of styles and language, it has always been difficult for me to choose just one aesthetic, one identity, one single thing. I am many — perhaps too many — things to present myself as only one. And aren’t we all like that? Mutable, plural, and amorphous.

Within my portfolio, musical genres range from electronic music to alternative rock, contemporary jazz, folk/country, singer-songwriter music, and pop. All of these musical universes fascinate me.

In my lyrics, the poetry of Sophia de Mello Breyner, Fernando Pessoa and his heteronyms, Florbela Espanca, Daniel Faria, among others, helped me find disruptive ways of using language to capture something greater. The use of poetic, metaphorical, and allegorical language is a style I enjoy exploring, as it allows greater interpretative space for the listener to dive into themselves — into what they truly feel and think when listening to a song.

Which artists inspire you the most?

David Bowie, Fiona Apple, Radiohead, Jon Brion, The Beatles, Maria João Pires, Jorge Palma, among many others, have deeply inspired me through their journeys and identities. I believe our influences are important, even to help us discover more about ourselves — what we like and what truly inspires us.

Do you believe music can have a transformative role in society?

Not directly. I believe change will always be in the hands of those who act, who unite for a concrete cause, who move directly within a social body and alter it. In that sense, music itself, isolated from any context, does not have enough strength to change social structures rooted in culture.

However, we are driven by emotion, by being sensitized to a cause, by empathy — and in this, I believe music and art can act. Music changes our state of mind; poetry informs; images redirect our focus to where it should be. I believe music can plant seeds within us that may one day lead us to act. But true change, for me, is not found in art — it is found in the individual.

“It is very important to know clearly what we want so that we do not betray ourselves and can act with assertiveness and confidence.”

Which projects will mark your year in 2026?

At the moment, I am fortunate to have several projects happening simultaneously. The promotion of two singles, Ser ou Não Ser and Chuva do Meu Olhar, as well as my EP, has been underway since late 2025 and continues into this year.

I am responsible for orchestrating the arrangements for the Lycée Français International de Porto, which will be presented at the solidarity concert of international schools at Casa da Música in March. I am also composing the soundtrack for three final-year projects by students in the Sound and Image program.

Concert and recording dates are scheduled for the beginning of the year. Academically, my final project for the Sound and Image degree and the Artistic Aptitude Exam at the Music Conservatory are progressing and will be presented in May–June 2026.

What advice would you give to other students who want to balance academic education with an active artistic practice?

First, I would advise them to experiment widely and collaborate with other artists. However, I also believe it is essential to have focus, direction, and a well-defined strategy guiding that exposure to new experiences.

Another piece of advice would be to clearly define priorities between academic, professional, and personal life. It is very important to know what we truly want so that we do not betray ourselves and can act with assertiveness and confidence — especially when results are not what we expected or desired, which happens sometimes as we live and learn.

It is also important to do what we genuinely love and what moves us. Education is an important pillar, as is having enough motivation to withstand adversity, trusting in our own value, and believing in our goals and dreams. I will share a piece of advice I have heard several times in this field: “If you’re coming into this, you really have to love it!”