The concerts of the Artist Residency Series are the culmination of the participation of tomorrow’s music stars- young and brilliant pianists who come to the festival to work with the artist faculty of Porto Pianofest and prepare for tours, recordings, important concerts, and to make their art known to the world.

Pianists are chosen, from all continents, to perform in a solo recital and share their unique musical ideas with our welcoming audience in Porto.

Chloe Weston is a Canadian classical pianist who thrives with effervescent energy on stage. As a versatile artist, Chloe performs as soloist, chamber musician, and collaborative pianist. She has been featured as soloist with North Bay Symphony, Timmins Symphony and Kensington Sinfonia. With generous support from the Ontario Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts, she commissioned Ruminations – a piano concerto by Mark Limacher – which was premiered with Kensington Sinfonia in 2025 and will be released as her debut recording by Leaf Music in 2026.

Program Note from the Artist:

Inspired by a biography of the Spanish composer, Enrique Granados of the same name, this concert explores the music of Granados and one of his ultimate idols, Frédéric Chopin. We begin with one of Granados’ most iconic pieces, La maja y el ruiseñor, The Maiden and the Nightingale, from his most performed set, Goyescas. One can hear the laments of the heartbroken Maja and the nightingale that tries to comfort her with her own song. This is followed by Escenas Romanticas, Romantic Scenes, that continue to evoke the heartbreak and exaltation of the maja through various short movements - many of which are entitled using terms Chopin made famous at the piano, such as mazurka and berceuse.

Pairing this set with Chopin’s Scherzo displays the immense impact Chopin’s music had on Granados. This echoes beyond the use of Chopin’s titles, but expands to include Granados’ harmonic and structural language, and the distinct feature of repetition with embellishment showcased in the scherzo’s ABA’ structure as well as in the increasing decoration of the melodic lento section. The scherzo explores its own set of romantic scenes with triumph and tragedy, but ultimately leaves us with pure joy.

“Granados’s music ‘resembles Spanish poetry in its penchant for repetition of ideas.... adding with each repetition distinctive embellishment, each time more luminous and sumptuous.’ The same might be said of Granados’s idol Chopin”. [Walter Aaron Clark, The Poet of the Piano]