Artists

After finishing her studies at Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa with the maximum classification under the supervision of the pianist Tania Achot, and a master's degree in piano performance at Catholic University of Porto with Filipe Pinto Ribeiro, she continued her musical studies at Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel with Jan Michiels and in Madrid with Claudio Mehner. She obtained her PHD degree in 2015 with “Summa cum laude” at the Escola das Artes of the Catholic University Porto under the orientation of the pianist Sofia Lourenço and the composer Paulo Ferreira Lopes.

She won several national and international prizes, including “Maria Campina” and “Princess Lalla Meryem”, and performed as soloist with the Brussels Chamber Orchestra, as a prize of Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel Competition for students of all instruments. She has played, since 2006, in countries as France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Brazil and China, as well as in the main Portuguese festivals and concert halls, including Dias da Música, Sintra Festival, Oeiras Festival, Mafra Festival, Centro Cultural de Belém, Auditório Ruy de Carvalho, Centro Cultural de Cascais and Olga Cadaval Cultural Center, as soloist and with the leading Portuguese orchestras and conductors.

She is the author of the book "Schumann ́s Carnaval: work of genius and madness" (based in her PhD dissertation and with a preface of Professor Mário de Vieira de Carvalho) and has recorded four CDs: "Waltz Transfigured" with works by Schubert and Schumann, “Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1" with Orquestra do Norte, "Encounter", with works by Mozart and Schumann and the most recent "Identity", with music by Debussy, Prokofiev and Liszt.
Pianist of great originality, Teresa da Palma Pereira has been dedicated, in the last years, to a set of projects that aim to bring erudite music to new audiences, performing several cycles of commented recitals, as "Communication with music", "Classics outdoors", Classics for All" and " Classics in the Bookstore", at Fundação Portuguesa das Comunicações, Palace of the Aciprestes, in Linda-a-Velha, social quarters and the bookstore “Ler Devagar”, in Alcântara, respectively.

She ́s also the Artistic Director of the Oeiras International Piano Festival since 2018.

Since May 2007, when Jorge Luis Prats gave his first recital at the Miami International Piano Festival, his career has undergone a dramatic ascent. His debut recitals at the prestigious “Meister Pianisten” series at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam having been received with standing ovations, in 2010 he returned to the same series for the third time, an honor uniquely reserved for Brendel and Sokolov previously). In May 2010 Jorge Luis replaced Nelson Freire at his Salle Pleyel recital, to a tremendously enthusiastic response from the public and in September of the same year he again triumphed at the festival “Piano aux Jacobins” in Toulouse. Following these successes, he has been invited by the organisers of several prestigious French series to perform in Autumn 2011 at the Grand Interpretes in Lyon, at the Grand Theatre de Aix en Provence, a re-invitation from the Piano 4 Etoiles series at Salle Pleyel and to perform Rachmaninov with the Orchestre de Paris under Paavo Järvi. Jorge Luis has toured Europe, Latin America, China, Japan and Korea and has played with Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Symphony etc. In Mexico, he has performed with the Mexico City Orchestra, the Ofunam Orchestra and the Jalapa Orchestra and in South America with the Columbia Philharmonic, Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra and Caracas Municipal Orchestra. Regularly invited as professor by the respected institutions such as National University of Columbia in Bogota, National School of the Arts in Havana, the Arts Centre in Mexico, the Conservatory of Cordoba in Spain and Royal Conservatory in Toronto, he was also the Artistic Director of National Orchestra of Cuba from 1985 to 2002. Jorge Luis Prats was born in Camaguey in Cuba in 1956, studying with Cesar Perez Sentenar, Barbara Diaz Alea, Margot Rojas and Alfredo Diez at National School of Arts. On graduation, he was awarded a scholarship to the Tchaikovsky Conservatory of Moscow where he studied with Rudolf Kerer and he continued his studies at Conservatoire de Paris and later at the Hochschüle für Müsik und Künstler in Vienna with
Paul Badura Skoda and Magda Tagliaferro. At 21 years old, Jorge Luis won the first prize at the prestigious Concours Marguerite Long – Jacques Thibaud in Paris as well as the special award of best interpretation of works by Ravel and Jolivet. Jorge Luis Prats discography includes the first recording ever of Scriabin’s 24 Preludes, concerti by Beethoven, Grieg, Rachmaninov and Chopin as well as works by Cuban composers. His concert at Broward Center for the Performing Arts for the Miami’s International Piano Festival was recorded and released as DVD by VAI. Jorge Luis has recently signed an exclusive recording contract with Decca and his first recording with them will be Granados by Goyescas.

With a vivid onstage presence, dazzling technique, and keen musicianship, Russian-American pianist Olga Kern is widely recognized as one of the great artists of her generation, captivating fans and critics alike. She was born into a family of musicians in Russia and began studying piano at the age of five, and at seventeen was awarded first prize at the Rachmaninoff International Piano Competition. In 2001, she jump-started her U.S. career, winning a historic Gold Medal at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth, Texas—the first woman to do so in more than thirty years. A Steinway Artist, Ms. Kern is a laureate of a number of international competitions. In 2016 she was Jury Chairman of both the Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition and the first Olga Kern International Piano Competition, where she also holds the title of Artistic Director. In coming seasons, she will continue to serve on the juries of a number of other high-level competitions. Ms. Kern frequently gives masterclasses and since 2017 has served on the piano faculty of the Manhattan School of Music. In 2019, she was appointed the Connie & Marc Jacobson Director of Chamber Music at the Virginia Arts Festival. Highlights of the 2019-20 season included performances with the Allentown Symphony, Grand Rapids Symphony, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Colorado Symphony, Toledo Symphony Orchestra, New Mexico Philharmonic, and the New West Symphony. She also appears as a soloist on a U.S. tour with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine and gives recitals in Orford, Sunriver, Fort Worth, Carmel, and San Francisco. Kern has performed with many prominent orchestras, including the Moscow Philharmonic, St. Louis Symphony, Pacific Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Detroit Symphony, and the National Symphony Orchestra (Washington, D.C.), as well as the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra, Iceland Symphony, Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie, Tokyo’s NHK Symphony Orchestra, and the National Youth Orchestra of China, which marked her Chinese debut. She was also a featured soloist on US tours with the Royal
Philharmonic Orchestra and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and during the 2017-18 season served as Artist in Residence at the San Antonio Symphony. Ms. Kern’s discography includes a Harmonia Mundi recording of the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and Christopher Seaman; her Grammy-nominated disc of Rachmaninoff’s Corelli Variations and other transcriptions; and Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Warsaw Philharmonic and Antoni Wit. Other notable releases include Chopin’s Piano Sonatas No. 2 and 3, and, more recently, SONY’s release of the Rachmaninoff Sonata for Cello and Piano with Sol Gabetta. Ms. Kern is also featured in award-winning documentaries about the 2001 Cliburn Competition: Playing on the Edge, They Came to Play, and Olga’s Journey.

Jan Michiels studied with Abel Matthys at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. From 1988 to 1993 he studied at the Hochschule der Künste in Berlin under the direction of Hans Leygraf - he was awarded an exceptional distinction for his interpretations of Bartók's Second concerto for piano and Ligeti's Etudes. He was Tenuto-laureate in 1988 ; in 1989 he won the international E.Durlet competition. In 1991 he was laureate of the international Queen Elizabeth Competition. In 1992 he was awarded the JeM/ Cera prize for musicians and in 1996 he was signed up as festival star of the Flanders Festival. He is also laureate of the 'Gouden Vleugels/KBC Muziekprijs' 2006.

Jan Michiels is currently active as piano professor in the Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel, where he also led the class of contemporary music for eight years. He conducted masterclasses in London, Murcia, Hamburg, Oslo, Montepulciano, Szombathely (Bartokfestival). He is fellow in the 'Platform' (VUB-KCB/The Brussels Model) and prepares a doctorate in the arts with the 'New Prometheus' of Luigi Nono as a guide. He regularly performs as a soloist or with chamber music ensembles (a.o. the Piano Quartet "Tetra Lyre" and a piano duo with Inge Spinette) in several musical centres in Europe and Asia, with conductors such as Angus, Asbury, Baudo, Boreycko, Edwards, Eötvös, Märkl, Meylemans, Nézet-Séguin, Ono, Pfaff, Rahbari, Rundel, Soustrot, Stern, Tabachnik, Tamayo, Zagrosek, Zender - but also with dance-productions of Anna Teresa De Keersmaeker, Vincent Dunoyer and Sen Hea Ha. His repertoire reaches from Bach to today.

Apart from his many radio recordings, he also recorded cd's with works from a.o. Bach, Bartók, Beethoven, Brahms, Busoni, Debussy, Dvorák, Janácek, Liszt, Rachmaninov, Ligeti, Kurtág and Goeyvaerts (these three last composers appreciated very much his interpretations). The cd 'Via Crucis' - a Liszt-portrait (Eufoda) - received a Caeciliaprize in 2002. He played different complete cycles: all Beethoven sonatas, all pianoworks of Schoenberg, Webern and Berg and the complete chamber music with piano of Johannes Brahms.

Antonio Rosado is a nationally and internationally recognized pianist, result of his talent and taste for diversity, expressed in an extensive piano repertoire that includes works by composers as diverse as Georges Gershwin, Aaron Copland, Isaac Albéniz and Franz Liszt. This versatility allowed him to present for the first time in Portugal, outstanding works as the Sonatas of G. Enescu or the Paraphrases of F. Liszt, being the first Portuguese pianist to perform the complete Preludes and Etudes of Claude Debussy. Also about his recitals can be underlined the interpretation of the complete Mozart and Beethoven Piano Sonatas.

Rosado has performed on stage for the first time at four years of age. His musical studies started with his father and continued at the National Conservatory of Music in Lisbon, where he finished the Piano Superior course, with the highest qualification. At sixteen Rosado left for Paris, and there he came to be a disciple of Aldo Ciccolini at the Music Conservatory and further training took place at Siena and Biella (Italy).

In 1980, took place is debut in concert with the Orchestre National de Toulouse, under the direction of Michel Plasson and since then Rosado has played with numerous international orchestras and notable conductors such as Georg Alexander Albrecht, Moshe Atzmon, Franco Caracciolo, Pierre Dervaux, Arthur Fagen, Leon Fleischer, Silva Pereira, Claudio Scimone, David Stahl, Marc Tardue and Ronald Zollman.

In chamber music he has performed with prestigious musicians such as Aldo Ciccolini, Maurice Gendron, Margarita Zimermann, Gerardo Ribeiro and Paulo Gaio Lima, with whom he played Beethoven's complete works for cello and piano.

Laureate by Maurice Ravel International Academy and the International Academy Perosi, António Rosado was distinguished by the Vianna da Motta International Competition and the International Competition Alfredo Casella in Naples. These awards are the international recognition of his virtuosity and the impetus for a brilliant career, with performing recitals and concerts throughout the world, and participation in various festivals. In the 90s, he was the pianist chosen by TF1 for the recording and transmission of three programs - Spanish and Portuguese music, Liszt and, finally, a recital with music by Beethoven, Prokofiev, Wagner-Liszt.

His first recording was in the 80s, took place in Paris and was dedicated to Enescu. Other albums followed, including the piano works by Vianna da Motta; a commemorative CD of the 150th anniversary of Liszt’s visit to Lisbon; Fantasie by Schumann and Liszt’s Sonata. With violinist Gerardo Ribeiro, Rosado recorded the violin and piano sonatas by Brahms and with the pianist Artur Pizarro, a disc entitled Mozart in Norway. With the NDR Sinfonieorchestra Hamburg, recorded the Concerto No. 2 and Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini by Rachmaninov. In Portugal recorded the two Brahms Concertos with the National Orchestra of Porto, in 2004 all the piano sonatas by Fernando Lopes-Graça and in 2006 the eight suites "In Memoriam Bela Bartok" by the same composer. More recently the Preludes of Armando José Fernandes and Luís de Freitas Branco and, in 2012, Festive Music of Fernando Lopes-Graça. In 2016 was released by Calanda Music, the disc with all Preludes by C. Debussy.

António Rosado holds the prestigious título of Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres (French Government, 2007).

Nikolai Lugansky is a pianist who combines elegance and grace with powerful virtuosity, a true incarnation of the Russian tradition on the international classical stage. Recognised as a master of Russian and late romantic repertoire, Lugansky is renowned for his interpretations of Rachmaninov, Prokofiev, Chopin and Debussy. He has received numerous awards for recordings and artistic merit.

He regularly works with top level conductors such as Yuri Temirkanov, Kent Nagano, Mikhail Pletnev, Gianandrea Noseda and Vladimir Jurowski. Concerto highlights for the 2020/21 season include performances with Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg, BBC Symphony Orchestra in London, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra and NHK in Tokyo. Lugansky also tours Europe with Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal.

A regular recitalist the world over, during this season Lugansky appears in Paris, Prague, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Vienna Konzerthaus and Wigmore Hall in London. Lugansky regularly performs at the La Roque-d'Anthéron Festival in France, with the last season marking the 23^rd consecutive year of appearance.

In June 2019 Nikolai Lugansky received the Russian Federation National Award in Literature and Art, for his contribution to the development and advancement of Russian and international classical music culture over the past 20 years. Lugansky was awarded the honour of People’s Artist of Russia in April 2013, which is the highest honorary title for outstanding achievement in the arts.

In addition to performing, Lugansky has been a professor at the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory since 1998. He is also the Artistic Director of the Tambov Rachmaninov Festival and is a supporter of, and regular performer at, the Rachmaninov Estate and Museum of Ivanovka.

Described by Gramophone as “the most trailblazing and meteoric performer of all” Nikolai Lugansky is a pianist of extraordinary depth and versatility. He appears at some of the world's most distinguished festivals, including the Aspen, Tanglewood Ravinia and Verbier festivals.  Chamber music collaborators include Vadim Repin, Alexander Kniazev, Mischa Maisky and Leonidas Kavakos.

Nikolai Lugansky has won several awards for his many recordings. His recital CD featuring Rachmaninov's Piano Sonatas won the Diapason d’Or, whilst his recording of concertos by Grieg and Prokofiev with Kent Nagano and the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin was a Gramophone Editor’s Choice. Lugansky has an exclusive contract with harmonia mundi and his Rachmaninov’s 24 Preludes, released in April 2018, met with enthusiastic reviews.  He was described as having “an ability to enchant the ear… with a deep feeling for the music” (The Financial Times).  His recording of solo piano music by Debussy was released in the 2018 anniversary year and his most recent release ‘César Frank, Préludes, Fugues & Chorals’ (March 2020) won the Diapason d’Or.