Pedro Vares de Azevedo was born in Uruguay, where he began studying double bass with Carlos Weiske. In 1995, he initiated an internship at the Montevideo Philharmonic Orchestra, which he joined as a full member in 1998. He continued his studies with Mirella Vedeva and Franco Petracchi at the Conservatory of Music in Geneva, Switzerland. After graduating, he enriched his musical knowledge with the study of Musicology at the University of Geneva.

He has worked during his career with a number of instrumental ensembles in Switzerland, including the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Lausanne Chamber Orchestra and the Ensemble Contrechamps, directed by internationally renowned masters such as Kurt Masur, Charles Dutoit, Leonard Slatkin, Christoph von Dohnányi and Rafael Frübeck de Burgos. From 2005 to 2014, he was leader of the double-bass section of the Lausanne Sinfonietta. In 2014 he joined the Gulbenkian Orchestra as 1st double bass soloist.

His interest in early music has led him to collaborate with musicians such as Chiara Banchini, Florence Malgoire, Gaetano Nasilo, Carlos Mena and Leonardo García Alarcón. He also studied viola da gamba with Cecilia Knudtsen. He has taught master classes in Argentina, Estonia, Venezuela and Uruguay.

November 2016