Date
28/4/2026

Maria João Pires was the surprise guest at the inaugural edition of Master’s Degree in Music Day, an event held on 27 April and open to the entire community of the School of Applied Arts (ESART) at the Castelo Branco Polytechnic (IPCB).

Following a guided tour of the current ESART-IPCB premises – with which the pianist was associated during its early years – the picnic proved to be the highlight of the gathering, bringing together students, lecturers and staff with Maria João Pires, who, amidst the exchange of views, readily obliged the many requests for photographs and autographs.

Back in the main auditorium, during the musical performance by the students, Sara Lobo played the Prelude in B minor from Book 2 of J. S. Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, whilst Ana Ferreirinho performed the Sonata and Minuet in C minor by C. Seixas. The brief session also included the presentation of a memento commemorating last year’s visit by the piano class to the Centre for the Study of the Arts, which the pianist founded and directed in Belgais (Escalos de Cima), a few kilometres from Castelo Branco.

At the end, in a chat on the sidelines with Luísa Tender, the course coordinator and host of the event, Maria João Pires expressed her delight at the experience. “I’m very happy to have been here. I really enjoyed meeting everyone and listening to them, now that I have a little more time. And I’m more than happy to give you all the support you need.”

To the young aspiring performers themselves, the pianist – who announced her retirement from the stage in 2025 – reminds them that “to be a musician, you have to love music. We can change everything if we have the will and the awareness of how to do it. It’s not enough to have information, education, skills or talent. What’s important is to have inspiration, determination, direction and the ability to manage our energy, which is what makes us unique.”