Founded in 2006, the DSCH Schostakovich Ensemble is regarded as one of the leading musical ensembles on the international stage today. 

Based in Lisbon since its creation by artistic director Filipe Pinto-Ribeiro, the DSCH is a variable-geometry ensemble and a platform for encounter and interaction among musicians of excellence.

The ensemble takes its name from composer Dmitri Shostakovich, in tribute to the centenary of his birth in 2006, the year in which DSCH began its activity. Since then, it has appeared in prestigious seasons and festivals across Europe, the USA, and Australia.

Its vast repertoire spans works by composers of different eras and styles – from Beethoven to Schumann, Mozart to Messiaen, Haydn to Webern, Brahms to Ravel, Shostakovich to Sofia Gubaidulina, with whom the ensemble has established a close artistic collaboration.

It has featured the participation of some of the most prominent musicians of our time, such as José van Dam, Pascal Moraguès, Esther Hoppe, Christian Poltéra, Lars Anders Tomter, Gary Hoffman, Gérard Caussé, Corey Cerovsek, Renaud Capuçon, Viviane Hagner, Adrian Brendel, Jack Liebeck, Kyril Zlotnikov, and Liza Ferschtman, among many others.

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

In 2018, it established the DSCH – Schostakovich Ensemble Composition Prize, aimed at honoring the work and career of leading Portuguese composers, such as Luís Tinoco, Eurico Carrapatoso, Andreia Pinto-Correia, Sérgio Azevedo, and Carlos Azevedo.

The DSCH's discography includes the world premiere recording of the Complete Chamber Music for Piano and Strings by Dmitri Shostakovich, as well as the Trios Opus 11 and 38 by Ludwig van Beethoven (Paraty/Harmonia Mundi), albums that were highly acclaimed by the national and international specialized press. 

At the end of 2026, the DSCH – Schostakovich Ensemble will release a new album featuring works by Franz Schubert and Antonín Dvořák, marking the 20th anniversary of its career.