Winner of numerous national and international awards, Portuguese pianist Artur Pereira has received great acclaim for his compelling and original interpretations. His individual style involves a profound awareness of the composers’ language and of the period’s performing practices.
Artur performs regularly as soloist and chamber musician in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain and South Africa. He is often invited as a soloist with orchestra, frequently interpreting Mozart, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff concertos. As a chamber musician, Artur also appears regularly in several ensemble combinations to great appraisal.
As a recording artist, Artur’s albums feature historically informed performances of Beethoven’s piano sonatas and piano music by Portuguese composers. These recordings are part of his seven-year project to record the complete cycle of Beethoven’s piano sonatas and lesser-known music by Portuguese composers.
Artur Pereira is also an author. His first book Beethoven’s Dedications: Stories behind the Tributes was released in December 2020 by Routledge. His writing and research interests focus on the music of Beethoven and the early Romantic period, following his Doctorate, awarded by the University of Manchester in 2016, on Beethoven’s dedications, under eminent Beethoven Scholar Professor Barry Cooper, and fully funded by the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia.
Born in Lamego, Portugal, Artur started his music studies at the age of seven and gave his first recital at the age of thirteen. He studied at the Oporto Conservatoire and at the School of Music and Performing Arts with Romanian pianist Constantin Sandu, during which time he was awarded multiple first prizes in piano competitions. He was invited to continue his studies in Cape Town, South Africa, under the guidance of Professor Nina Schumann and Benjamin van Eeden, completing his degree in 2006 with the top grade. During this time he was awarded the first prize winner at the ATKV Musiq competition and the Betsie Cluver prize. In 2008 Artur was admitted into the Masters degree programme at the Royal Northern College of Music, where he studied under Norma Fischer, with grants from the Stanley Picker Trust, the Ann Gerrard Foundation and Centro Nacional de Cultura. He continued to receive prizes in competitions, including the first prize at the Silverstone-Blank Piano Duo competition.
Artur was taught by renowned pianists, including Helena de Sá e Costa, Vladimir Viardo, Sequeira Costa, Konstantin Scherbakov, Nelson Goerner, Steven Osborne and Leslie Howard.
