Raúl da Costa

Portuguese pianist Raúl da Costa (b. 1993) has established himself as a distinctive artistic presence on today’s international music scene. Recognized for the clarity, imagination, and depth of his interpretations, he performs regularly on major European stages, including the Konzerthaus Berlin, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Palau de la Música Catalana, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, the Lockenhaus Festival, and the Liszt Academy Budapest. He made his orchestral debut at the age of twelve at Casa da Música in Porto, marking the beginning of a career that has since led him to collaborate with major orchestras in Portugal and abroad.

Equally at home as a soloist and chamber musician, Raúl da Costa maintains a strong presence in collaborative projects. He has appeared alongside artists such as Anja Lechner, Anouar Brahem, Sergei Nakariakov, Bruno Monsaingeon, Albrecht Mayer, Michael Barenboim, and Samuel Mariño. His musical curiosity and openness have led him to explore a wide range of repertoire and formats, often seeking connections between traditional concert programs and more interdisciplinary approaches.

A committed advocate of contemporary music, he has developed close artistic relationships with composers including Francisco Coll, Valentin Silvestrov, and António Victorino d’Almeida. This engagement forms an integral part of his artistic identity, enriching his interpretations of both canonical and modern repertoire.

His performances have been broadcast by ARTE, Deutsche Grammophon, Deutschlandradio, AVROTROS, NDR, SWR, Radio France, and Portuguese national broadcasters. A live recording of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 4 with the Porto Symphony Orchestra under Stefan Blunier has been released on CD, alongside further recordings with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León.

Raúl da Costa has worked closely with Maria João Pires, Daniel Barenboim, Ferenc Rados, and Dmitri Bashkirov, whose artistic influence has played an important role in shaping his musical voice. He studied at the Hochschule für Musik, Medien und Theater Hannover with Karl-Heinz Kämmerling and Bernd Goetzke—later joining its teaching faculty—and completed postgraduate studies with Kirill Gerstein at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin.

Since 2018, he has served as Artistic Director of the Póvoa de Varzim International Music Festival, one of Portugal’s leading classical music festivals, where he curates programs that bring together established artists and emerging voices.

Based in Berlin, Raúl da Costa values the balance between an active international career and a more private, reflective life. He enjoys the quieter rhythm of the city together with his wife, and is fluent in eight languages.