"Mist is a collection of points", for piano, percussion, and sine tones, was written by the American composer Michael Pisaro in 2014. "In this piece, a point (i.e., a note) does not occur in a vacuum. It is let loose in an environment in which it can rebound (i.e., resonate) to varying degrees. The work is essentially about the morphology and topography of this resonance," says composer Michael Pisaro about the piece.
Madalena and María met in Oslo in August 2023, both studying for a Master's at NMH. Since then, they have decided to delve into this project, exploring the possibilities of the piano and the percussion in this piece together.
About
Madalena Rato
Madalena Rato is a young Portuguese percussionist who has challenged herself to participate in contemporary works, de-formatting her traditional artistic practice. She is currently studying for a master's degree in performance at the Norwegian Academy of Music with Jennifer Torrence and Kjell Tore Innervik. She completed her degree at the Lisbon School of Music with Pedro Carneiro, Richard Buckley, and Jeffery Davis in 2023. Madalena collaborates with young composers, with a keen interest in contemporary music and interdisciplinary projects, having premiered several works, including "Od'Estantes" and "Desponto" no Prado by Eva Aguilar, "maistrêscincoumespaçodoisumtrêsseisumquatrocincozerozero" by Inês Madeira Lopes, among others. She is a performer in "Carta", a show by actress and director Mónica Calle; in "Noite de Reis", a show directed by Ricardo Neves – "Neves"; and in "assobios, gritos e fonemas dançantes", a concert devised by Anabela Duarte. She has collaborated with various ensembles, most notably the Portuguese Chamber Orchestra and Oslo Sinfonietta. In 2021 and 2022, she took part in the Young Composers programme at Victor Córdon Studios, coordinated by Luís Tinoco, which integrates music, theatre, dance, and multimedia during artistic residencies. Madalena is the creator and performer of "Ok, Honey", an interdisciplinary show that premiered in June 2022 at Rua das Gaivotas 6 in Lisbon.
María Ayala Ferrer
María Ayala Ferrer is a Spanish classically trained pianist who began her musical studies at the age of six in her hometown, Murcia, Spain. She grew enthusiastic about the instrument until she decided to study it professionally. When she was eighteen, she moved to Salamanca to do her Bachelor’s degree in Conservatorio Superior de Música de Castilla y León (COSCyL) under the guidance of Prof. José Felipe Díaz Álvarez-Estrada until 2022. During this period, she also took part in the classes of Prof. Míriam Gómez-Morán, Prof. Brenno Ambrosini, Prof. Alberto Rosado, Prof. Alejandro Bustamante, and Prof. Dimitri van Halderen. From 2022–2023, she also completed a Master’s degree at the same school. During her professional career, María has received masterclasses from pianists such as Josep Colom, Janina Fialkowska, Prof. Caspar Frantz, Prof. Alexander Schmalcz, Prof. Marco Alpi, Prof. Raffaello D’Aniello, Prof. Boris Berman and Elisabeth Leonskaja, among others. It was in Salamanca that María discovered the possibilities and nuances of contemporary music. Since then, she has collaborated with composers such as Gabrielle Manca and Vasco Negreiros and delved into repertoire with electronic music by other composers such as María Eugenia Luc. In 2023, María began a Master of Performance and Research at the Norwegian Academy of Music with Prof. Håvard Gimse and Prof. Sigurd Slåttebrekk, centring her studies around the music of Robert Schumann.
