Pedro Carneiro is a Portuguese percussionist, conductor, composer, and educator whose work connects solo performance, orchestral direction, new music, and social projects. He co-founded and serves as artistic director of the Portuguese Chamber Orchestra, the inclusive ensemble Notas de Contacto, and the Portuguese Youth Orchestra, together with other community-oriented initiatives.
As a performer and conductor, Carneiro has given more than one hundred world premieres. He has appeared with orchestras including the Gulbenkian Orchestra, Portuguese Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Seattle Symphony, Helsinki Philharmonic, Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Swedish Chamber Orchestra, and BBC National Orchestra of Wales. A distinctive part of his practice is directing concertante repertoire while playing the marimba, combining the roles of conductor and soloist.
His discography spans solo, chamber, concerto, and improvised music, with releases on labels including ECM, Clean Feed, and Rattle. His public honors include the Gulbenkian Art Prize and the Medal of Honor of the City of Setúbal. He is a professor at the Lisbon School of Music (as of the 2025/26 season).