Luís Bastos Machado

Luís Bastos Machado is a pianist, a researcher at CESEM (Critical Theory and Communication Group), and a PhD candidate at NOVA University, having previously completed a Master’s degree in Piano Performance at the Royal Academy of Music in London. His doctoral project, for which he received a four-year grant from the Portuguese national funding body for scientific research (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia), seeks to shed light on the impact of modernist aesthetics and the sociocultural context on early twentieth-century performance practice, with a focus on the piano music of Brahms, under the supervision of Professor Paulo Ferreira de Castro. Luís has been presenting his research in national and international conferences, and has written a chapter for the forthcoming book The Sound Body: Mapping Musical Embodiment in Training, Performance, Listening and Gestures, edited by Marcello Mazzetti (Turnhout: Brepols, 2025). He is the co-founder and current coordinator of CESEM’s Thematic Research Line in Music and Interpretation, for which he has organised several scientific meetings and outreach events. As a pianist, Luís has studied with António Toscano, Eurico Rosado, Caio Pagano, Paulo Álvares, and Daniel-Ben Pienaar. He has regularly performed as a soloist and chamber musician in Portugal, the United Kingdom, and Germany. He has participated in various national and international festivals, and has recorded for the public radios of Portugal (Antena 2) and Germany (Deutschlandfunk). He was the recipient of several awards and a merit scholarship during his training.