Thank You – VII FIPO 2024

It is with great pride and already some nostalgia that I bid farewell to another edition of the Oeiras International Piano Festival.

Over the past 7 years, it has been a tremendous privilege to watch this event grow and attract an ever-increasing audience—the loyal classical music enthusiasts and new audiences to whom we have lovingly introduced classical piano for the first time.

Our shared love for this instrument has united us in a common enthusiasm, Sunday after Sunday. This enthusiasm also overflows into the community that has joined us on this special journey!

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to those in the audience who have contributed most to creating a warm atmosphere, leaving a memorable mark on the artists who come to Oeiras. We especially highlight Ana Maria Amorim, who has gifted us with beautiful photographic records of the performances week after week. We also thank those who decided to join us on a learning journey by practicing their passion for the piano in the FIPO2024 Intensive Beginner’s Piano Course. Held as part of this festival and bringing together generations from ages 7 to 77, this initiative aimed to bring us all closer—amateurs and professionals alike—in an environment where only the love for music matters.

It has been an honor to witness the growth and emergence of new talents at the Oeiras International Piano Masterclasses, held since the inception of our festival. In this 7th edition, after an intense and productive week of lessons, we would like to give special mention to two young pianists who stood out with their performances of Beethoven’s Waldstein Sonata and Liszt’s Sonata in B minor, respectively: the Japanese pianist Misuzu Oda and the young Portuguese pianist João Santos, to whom we wish the greatest happiness in their careers.

We will forever remember the recitals of the astonishing and surprising Korean virtuoso Yeol Eum Son, the world-renowned pianist Yoav Levanon, one of the great names in piano today, the sensitive and refined Mishka Rushdie Momen, performing solo for the first time in Portugal, and the celebrated Luso-Polish pianist Piotr Anderszewski, a longtime friend of the Festival, whom we had the pleasure of honoring in this edition.

On my behalf, I also thank the wonderful reception of the audience at my recital, which opened the festival and encourages me to strive to be a better pianist and inspires me to continue this journey year after year.

I wish you a good summer, with the promise of meeting again next year, as we work hard to bring the best human and musical quality to the VIII edition of the Oeiras International Piano Festival in 2025!

I would like to thank, on behalf of the Academia de Música Flor da Murta, the essential support of the Oeiras City Council, the patronage of the La Caixa Foundation, and the Areeiro Senior Residences, as well as the support of the Nadir Afonso Foundation, the Vila Galé Hotels, the Antena 2, from Oeiras Viva, Longo Alcance, Fashion Studio and Ideoma Design.

Teresa da Palma Pereira
(Artistic Director of FIPO)