For a long time, the international press has been saying that Nelson Freire is one of the great pianists of our time, comparing him to legendary figures such as Rachmaninoff, Cortot, Hofmann, Rubinstein and Gould. Each recital or concert by Nelson Freire is a memorable and intense artistic experience, from which the public emerges thankful and enriched. The career of the extraordinary Brazilian pianist has spanned over 50 years, he has played in the best music halls in the world and collaborated with the most important conductors and orchestral groups. Born in 1944, Nelson Freire has shown exceptional talent in music and piano since he was a boy. Former student of Nise Obino and Lucia Branco, he won the First International Rio de Janeiro Competition when he was twelve years old. This led to him pursuing his musical career in Vienna, under the guidance of Friedrich Guilda and Bruno Seidlhofer. When he premiered at the Vienna Music Academy, at age 15, interpreting the Sonata in F sharp minor by Brahms, he deeply impressed the professors and students in the venerable institution.

Winner of the Vianna da Motta International Competition and of the Dinu Lipatti Medal – conquered in Portugal and England in 1964 –, Nelson Freire has never ceased to get inspiration from the pianists which had impressed him as a boy: Rachmaninoff, Horowitz, Rubinstein and, most of all, Guiomar Novaes, with whom he established and maintains an almost mythical relationship concerning life and music.