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

This single ticket includes entrance to the full day of Artist Residency Concerts for August 7th, with recitals at 18h00 and 19h30. Join us for one concert that evening, or both!

Trio Kapwa unites violinist Russell Iceberg, pianist Stephen Joven-Lee (returning Porto Pianofest participant), and cellist Meredith Steele. Iceberg, praised for his "extreme finesse" and "boundless energy," has won top prizes at the Golden Violin Competition, the Peter Mendell award, and the Prix d'Éurope, leading to performances with orchestras including the Maryland Symphony Orchestra and L'orchestre du Festival Bach International de Montréal. A graduate of McGill and Northwestern University, he is also a founding member of the Myriade, Persée, and Iceberg String Quartets, and plays a 1761 Nicolò Gagliano violin. Philippine-born Joven-Lee has been hailed for his "dazzling virtuosity" and has won nearly two dozen competitions, performing at venues such as Carnegie Weill Hall and Lincoln Center. He holds degrees from Oberlin, Juilliard, and Northwestern, and now teaches in Northwestern's Department of Music Theory & Cognition. Steele, a North American cellist based in Melbourne, Australia, performs widely across Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia. She was awarded the Otti Veit Violoncello Scholarship at the Melbourne Conservatorium and holds degrees from East Carolina University and Northwestern University. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Music Performance at the University of Melbourne. Together, the trio brings a wealth of international training and performance experience to their collaborative work.

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Program Note from the Artists:

The pieces on this program are very special to Trio Kapwa, as these are among the first works performed at the founding of the ensemble five years ago in the summer of 2021. Evoking the elegy, Rachmaninoff’s Trio Elegiaque weighs on the laments of death through brooding sound and passionate outcry, ultimately ending with a funeral march. In contrast, Dvorak’s Dumky Trio is an unbridled celebration of life through rustic outbursts of joy and sadness. Though seemingly conflicting, the two works both touch on the reality of human experience, one we are grateful to share.