Award-winning Portuguese pianist Nuno Marques has developed an extensive, international performing career from his current base in New York City, where he directs Porto Pianofest – an international piano festival held annually in Porto, Portugal. He is the festival’s founder and artistic director. A Doctor of Musical Arts, Nuno is a versatile musician, equally comfortable playing solo, chamber music, teaching, or collaborating with other forms of artistic expression.His most recent concerts took him to renowned music halls and festivals in Europe, Asia and the US, where he played twice at Carnegie Hall. Nuno Marques has also embarked twice on extensive concert tours in China, and has given public masterclasses in Portugal, Spain, the World Piano Congress in Serbia, Myanmar, China and the US.
New York native Mariel Mayz is a sought-after composer, pianist, educator, and administrator. As a composer, Mariel’s first large-scale work for the stage—a one-act, chamber opera— was commissioned by American Opera Projects and the Hunter Opera Theater. The work was premiered by the Hunter Opera Theater singers and Talia Ensemble during the 2018 New York Opera Fest.Mariel’s most recent works include commissions by two-time Latin Grammy nominee João Luiz; the Sarasa Ensemble (Cambridge, MA); two commissioned works for “The Illustrated Pianist,” celebrating the centennial of American author, Ray Bradbury; the Higher Ground Festival (NYC), guitarist Nora Spielman, and Porto Pianofest— for their 2019 New Music Series, 2020 Digital Season, and 2021 Arts in Dialogue Series.
Additionally this year, Mariel received “The Kintsugi Spirit” 2021 Artist Grant from the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center (Los Angeles, CA) for the creation of an new electro-acoustic work that was premiered in October during their Virtual Exhibition. Mariel is simultaneously working on the publishing and recording of her solo piano compositions, as well as preparing additional recitals in Europe, New York City and New England. Mariel Mayz made her debut as a pianist with the Rockland Symphony Orchestra at the age of sixteen, and thereafter continued to perform in places such as Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, the Chamber Society at Lincoln Center, Steinway Hall, the French Embassy in New York, Tenri Cultural Institute, Roulette, and many other venues.Mariel’s major teachers include José Ramón Mendez, Seymour Bernstein, Geoffrey Burleson, Jean-Michel Pilc, Suzanne Farrin, Justin Dello Joio, and David Rakowski.Mariel is an Adjunct Professor of Music Theory and lecturer for the Arts Management & Leadership Certificate at CUNY Hunter College; and pursuing a PhD in Composition and Theory at Brandeis University. She is, additionally, the Program Coordinator of the Hunter Mellon Arts Fellowship— a pivotal program for diversity and inclusion within the field of arts management and leadership. Mariel is the Co-Founder and Associate Director of Porto Pianofest.
Born in Barcelos, André Rodrigues began his career in photography during adolescence, trying to visually document ornithological observations with his parents. At that time, he did not imagine that photography would be predominant in his life. André graduated in Biological Engineering from the University of Minho, and decided to leave the field of engineering in 2016 to pursue photographic arts. In 2018, he completed the Professional Photography Course at IPCI (Porto) under the guidance of António Pedrosa. Since then, he has worked as a freelance photographer in many diverse areas, collaborating with publications such as the Público newspaper, and most prominently, as the photographer for Porto Pianofest since its beginnings in 2016.Although beginning as a photographer, André's role with the festival quickly expanded to producer and media specialist— where he assists in administrative tasks, works within festival communications, and handles media components; such as, concert recording, livestreaming, and photographing. During the festival in August, André additionally directs a team of media assistants.
Catarina McNally is a design and communication specialist whose work in both digital and print mediums has been praised for its streamlined aesthetic, creativity, and contemporary elegance. As a designer, Catarina has worked with esteemed communication companies such as Duall Studio and Exclamação Agency, while having an extensive list of international freelance clients, including Porto Pianofest, with whom she has been collaborating as their lead designer since 2019. Catarina is passionate about art and culture, and is excited by the designer’s ability to transmit information in a collaborative and imaginative way. She is well-versed in brand identity, website creation, graphic design, social media, and all areas of visual content. Catarina’s work with Porto Pianofest can be seen through the organization’s website, social media, and print material around the city of Porto throughout the summer months. Additional work by Catarina can be found at www.behance.net/catarinamcnally.
