Winner of Queen Elisabeth Competition to perform Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto
Portuguese master pianist Maria João Pires decided last weekend to end her active concert career due to the effects of a brain haemorrhage she suffered in the spring. A replacement pianist has now been found for the concerts she was to give with the Netherlands Philharmonic on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 June 2026 at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam and on Tuesday 16 June 2026 at TivoliVredenburg Utrecht. Nikola Meeuwsen, who recently won the final of the Queen Elisabeth Competition for piano in Brussels, will take her place with great reverence and play Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto .
The Netherlands Philharmonic and Netherlands Chamber Orchestra are eternally grateful to Maria João for all the unforgettable moments of poetic beauty she has given her audience over many decades. In January 2023, Maria João Pires made her last guest appearance with the Netherlands Philharmonic during a tour of the Netherlands and Germany with chief conductor Lorenzo Viotti. Her brilliant performance of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 27 remains etched in the memory of many, both orchestra and audience alike.