The MindfulSound Pianist Week Retreat
18 - 22 November 2026 / Porto, Portugal
The inspiration behind this retreat is the desire to create a sanctuary where music can return to its most fundamental essence: silence, listening, and truth.
This experience fosters a deep connection among pianists, nature, and their inner selves. In today’s fast-paced world, noise often drowns out silence, speed replaces presence,and productivity overshadows meaning. As a result, many people unconsciously drift away from the inner space where truth, intuition, and clarity thrive.
Artistic Faculty & Guest Practitioners
Artistic Diretion - Ana Moreira da Silva
Guest Artist - Maria João Pires
Sound Medicine Practitioners & Neuroscience Researchers - Ana Moreira da Silva and other guests to be announced soon
Mindful Piano Performance - Ana Moreira da Silva
Bodywork Practitioners - to be announced soon
We are honoured to welcome Maria João Pires as the guest artist of this first edition of the MindfulSound Retreat.
Her participation focuses exclusively on piano and musical interpretation, offering individual teaching that are open to the whole group, creating a space for everyone to take part in the learning process and the integration of the artistic work.
Throughout the retreat, she will address the themes she has selected for this edition, including:
- the participation of the body in piano technique
- rhythm or metric structure and their possible incompatibilities
- the role of the performer in written music
- emotional control.
Ana Moreira da Silva
Artistic Director of the retreat
Ana Moreira da Silva is a pianist and the creator of MindfulSound, a project that brings together music, conscious awareness and scientific perspectives on how sound influences human well‑being. As a former student of Maria João Pires, she developed an artistic approach grounded in presence, deep listening and cultural responsibility. Her work integrates musical practice, principles of neuroscience and somatic attention, offering pianists a path toward more conscious, balanced and meaningful artistic development. MindfulSound reflects this vision: a space where art becomes care, clarity and inner transformation.
Guests
Maria João Pires: Beyond her celebrated career, Maria João Pires has dedicated much of her life to projects that promote human development, conscious education and a responsible relationship with the planet. Her presence as guest in the MindfulSound Pianist Retreat brings a unique combination of artistic excellence, human sensitivity and ethical commitment that continues to inspire musicians and audiences around the globe.
Neuroscience: to be announced soon
Sound Medicine: to be announced soon
Bodywork Practitioners: to be announced soon
Guests
Maria João Pires: Beyond her celebrated career, Maria João Pires has dedicated much of her life to projects that promote human development, conscious education and a responsible relationship with the planet. Her presence as guest in the MindfulSound Pianist Retreat brings a unique combination of artistic excellence, human sensitivity and ethical commitment that continues to inspire musicians and audiences around the globe.
We are honored to welcome Dr. Filipe Palavra, a distinguished Neurologist whose career reflects a deep commitment to clinical research and the advancement of neurology in Portugal. His presence at the The MindfulSound Pianist Retreat offers a unique opportunity to engage with specialized knowledge, human sensitivity, and an integrated vision of neurological health.
- Neurologist
- Director of the Child Development Center at the Pediatric Hospital of the Local Health Unit of Coimbra
- Guest Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Coimbra
- President of the Portuguese Headache Society
- Vice-President of the Neurology College of the Portuguese Medical Association
Sound Medicine and Bodywork Practitioners: to be announced soon
The MindfulSound Pianist Retreat invites each participant to slow down, to listen deeply, to rediscover the essence of their artistic voice and to return to the body as the first instrument.
The Retreat Experience
- Individual piano lessons with Maria João Pires shared with the group
- Mindful piano performance with Ana Moreira da Silva
- Deep listening practices
- Sound‑medicine sessions
- Talks and reflective conversations
- Body‑awareness practices
Open community Events
SOUND MEDICINE TALK
Ana Moreira da Silva and guest speakers from the fields of neuroscience, medicine and sound healing, who invite the public into a space where listening, presence and artistic creation meet in a more conscious and embodied way.
FINAL CONCERT
Open to the community, a moment of music sharing, deep listening and collective resonance by the participating students.
Location
The retreat will take place in Porto — a vibrant cultural city in the north of Portugal, where history, art, and the Atlantic atmosphere create an inspiring environment for deep listening and inner transformation.
Full Schedule
18 NOVEMBER THE ART OF LISTENING TO YOURSELF BEFORE YOU PLAY
09h30 Arrival & check‑in
10h00 Opening circle
10h30 Maria João Pires piano lesson
13h00 Lunch
14h30 Mindful piano performance (Ana Moreira da Silva)
15h30 Maria João Pires piano lesson
18h00 Free time / open activities
19 NOVEMBER THE BODY THAT PLAYS - INTEGRATION PRACTICE
10h00 Embodied Practice for Pianists
10h30 Maria João Pires piano lesson
13h00 Lunch
14h30 Mindful piano performance (Ana Moreira da Silva)
15h30 Maria João Pires piano lesson
18h00 Free time / open activities
20 NOVEMBER EXPRESSION BORN FROM SILENCE - THE PERFORMER'S ROLE
10h00 Embodied Practice for Pianists
10h30 Maria João Pires piano lesson
13h00 Lunch
14h30 Mindful piano performance (Ana Moreira da Silva)
15h30 Maria João Pires piano lesson
18h30 Sound Medicine Talk
21 NOVEMBER THE HEALTHY PIANIST — PREPARING AND RESTORING THE PERFORMER
10H00 Embodied Practice for Pianists
10h30 Maria João Pires piano lesson
13h00 Lunch
14h30 Mindful piano performance (Ana Moreira da Silva)
15h30 Maria João Pires piano lesson
18H00 Final Concert
20H00 Closing Dinner
22 NOVEMBER INNER RESONANCE - SOUND and EMOTION
11H00 Sound Medicine — Sessions & Practices
13h00 Lunch
15H00 Closing Circle
Retreat Fee
Participant: €2500
Listener: €1500
Selection Process:
Due to the limited number of places, this retreat works through a two-step selection process.
Applicants submit the form and a 3–5 minute video of their piano performance.
A small number of candidates will be contacted for a short online interview, which is part of the selection process.
Only after the interview will the final participants be selected.
Confirmed participants will receive an email with a payment link to complete their registration.
Included in the fee
- Daily lunches
- Coffee breaks
- Final dinner
- Sound Medicine Talk
- Full artistic participation in all retreat activities
Not included
- Accommodation
- Dinners (except final dinner)
Application deadline
31 September 2026