Sónia Pais was born in 1998 and, since 2022, has held the position of Principal Flute with the Gulbenkian Orchestra. Concurrently, she is pursuing her Master’s studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich (Hochschule für Musik und Theater München) in the class of Andrea Lieberknecht, and is a member of the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie.
Paralelamente, prossegue estudos de mestrado na Hochschule für Musik und Theater München, na classe de Andrea Lieberknecht, e é membro da Junge Deutsche Philharmonie.

She was an academy member of the Mendelssohn-Orchesterakademie, the academy of the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig (2021/22). During this period, she recorded a Deutsche Grammophon CD of Schubert’s Symphonies Nos. 8 and 9 under the direction of Herbert Blomstedt.

Throughout her career, she has been a member of orchestras such as the Gustav Mahler Academy (2019 and 2020) and the Orquesta Joven de la Sinfónica de Galicia (2016). As a guest musician, she has collaborated with the Dresdner Philharmonie, the Tchaikovsky International Orchestra Ekaterinburg, the Orquestra Clássica de Espinho, and the Orchester der Russisch-Deutsche Musikakademie — a project by Valery Gergiev in collaboration with the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra.

Among the national and international competitions in which she has performed, notable achievements include 1st Prize and the Excellence Award – Category A at the Gondomar International Music Competition, and 3rd Prize at the Tampere Flute Fest – Piccolo Orchestral Competition (Finland).

She began her musical studies at the age of seven at the Sociedade Filarmónica Fraternidade de São João de Areias in Santa Comba Dão. Two years later, she entered the Conservatório de Música e Artes do Dão. She subsequently studied at the Escola Profissional de Música de Espinho under the guidance of Paulo Barros. 

In 2017, she was admitted to the Hanns Eisler School of Music Berlin (Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin) in the class of Benoît Fromanger, completing her Bachelor's degree with the highest honors. During this period, she was a recipient of the Lucia-Loeser Stipendium, awarded for artistic merit.