Partitura Workshop
Maria João Pires Brings Partitura to the United States
Maria João Pires launched the Partitura Project in Belgium in 2012, with the aim to encourage cooperation and social engagement among pianists, and balance the dynamic among artists towards altruism rather than competitiveness. The Gilmore’s Partitura Project is the first realization of this project in the United States. Six invited pianists will join Ms. Pires for an intensive piano study residency at the Epic Center in downtown Kalamazoo (where The Gilmore’s offices are located).
Ms. Pires has worked with pianists from around the world, exploring and performing together as they invite meditation on the relationship that each individual has with their habits, culture, technique, and expectations. The Partitura model encourages interactions between participants, collective work sessions, and exchanges during meals together, as an alternative to traditional master classes. Ms. Pires believes a pianist’s personal relationship with music is inseparable from the role of the artist today.
The eight-day Partitura Project experience will include a performance by Pires and the students on Sunday, May 21, 4 pm in the Stetson Chapel at Kalamazoo College. Program and participants will be announced from the stage.
You Can Audit The Project

- May 17–20 & May 22–26
- 9 AM–12 PM & 2–6 PM
The general public will be allowed to audit the Partitura workshops in the Jolliffe Theater in downtown Kalamazoo, Michigan. Auditors will be able to watch the Partitura Workshop just like observers can watch a master class.
Auditors will be expected to remain quiet throughout the workshop. No photos or videos are allowed to be taken. No participation from the auditors is allowed, especially in the form of asking questions, interjecting, or positioning oneself in the teaching space.