The renowned Portuguese pianist Maria João Pires announced the launch of the first edition of the "MJP Piano Academy", a project dedicated to teaching and artistic sharing in the world of piano, in a digital format. The initiative anticipates the opening of registrations for masterclasses and in-person events at the Centro de Artes de Belgais, in the municipality of Castelo Branco, shortly. The pedagogical platform offers bookings for online lessons and will include workshops targeted at small groups of three to four students, accessible through a monthly subscription plan for students, teachers and music lovers.
In parallel with digital teaching, the artist's team is developing a plan to reopen the Centro de Artes de Belgais, with the objective of offering in-person cultural experiences and linking them to a global platform for broadcasting content and events to international audiences. At 82 years old, Maria João Pires had announced her departure from the stage at the end of last year, following a health issue that interrupted her international tour between Europe and Asia.
Last July, on the occasion of the Honoris Causa doctorate by the University of Évora, although she ruled out the possibility of a farewell concert, the pianist left the door open for returning to recording studios. With a career dating back to the late 1940s, when she performed in public at the age of 4, Maria João Pires established herself as the most prominent name in Portuguese piano internationally, having won the prestigious International Beethoven Competition in 1970 and built a reference discography for the Denon, Erato and Deutsche Grammophon labels.
