Pires, Maria João (1944– )

Portuguese pianist. She played a Mozart concerto aged seven, and then studied at the Lisbon Academy (1953–60) and in Munich. She performed widely in Europe after winning the 1970 Beethoven Competition at Brussels, but her career was interrupted by illness. She performed Mozart's concerto K449 at Salzburg, in 1984, and in 1986 she made her London and US debuts. She toured the USA in 1988, with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and the Houston Symphony Orchestra. She was famed for her sensitive performances of Mozart, Chopin, and Schumann.