Josu de Solaun Soto
Josu de Solaun (born October 27, 1981) is a Spanish-American classical music pianist. He holds citizenships from both Spain and the United States. In 2019 he was given the title of Officer of Cultural Merit, a state decoration, by Klaus Iohannis, president of Romania.
Josu De Solaun | |
---|---|
Josu De Solaun, New York 2006 | |
Background information | |
Born | Valencia, Spain | October 27, 1981
Occupation(s) | Pianist |
Website | http://www.josudesolaun.com |
Biography
He is winner of the First Prize at the XIII George Enescu International Piano Competition, the First Prize at the I European Union Piano Competition held in Prague, and the First Grand Prize at the XV José Iturbi International Piano Competition. He is the first and only pianist from Spain to have ever been awarded the coveted prizes in the more than 30 and 50 years of their existence (the Iturbi and Enescu Competitions, founded in 1981 and 1958). From 1999 to 2014 he resided in New York City, and is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, from which he holds a Bachelor of Music, Master of Music and Doctorate in Musical Arts, and where his main teachers were Nina Svetlanova and Horacio Gutiérrez. He studied chamber music with violinist Isidore Cohen. From 2014 to 2018 he was Professor of Piano at Sam Houston State University. Since 2019 he resides in Spain. [1] In Spain, until the age of 17, his main teacher was Mexican pianist Maria Teresa Naranjo Ochoa.
He has performed as a soloist with orchestras such as the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, Moscow Chamber Orchestra, Philharmonic Orchestra of Fenice, George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia, RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Ploiești Philharmonic Orchestra, Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra, Mexico City Philharmonic Orchestra, RTVE Symphony Orchestra, Moldova State Philharmonic Orchestra, Banatul Philharmonic of Timișoara, Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia, Orquesta de Valencia, Sioux City Symphony Orchestra, and under conductors such as Justus Frantz, Rumon Gamba, Gheorghe Costin, JoAnn Falletta, Constantine Orbelian, Ilarion Ionescu-Galaţi, Christian Badea, Theodore Kuchar, Paul Daniel, Yaron Traub, Alexis Soriano, Miguel Ángel Gómez Martínez and Ramón Tebar.[2]
Recordings
He has recorded for Naxos Records and Audite, including the complete works for piano by George Enescu. [3]
Prizes
Year | Competition | Prize |
---|---|---|
2006 | XV José Iturbi International Piano Competition (Valencia, Spain) | 1st Prize |
2009 | Young Concert Artists (YCA) International Auditions (New York, United States) | 2nd Prize |
2009 | I European Union Piano Competition (Prague/Ostrava, Czech Republic) | 1st Prize |
2013 | VII Iowa International Piano Competition (Sioux City, Iowa, United States) | 2nd Prize |
2014 | XIII George Enescu International Piano Competition (Bucharest, Romania) | 1st Prize |
References
- "JOSU DE SOLAUN SOTO". pianophilia.blogspot.com. Archived from the original on 2012-03-01. Retrieved 2019-05-08.
- "JOSU DE SOLAUN SOTO". www.bach-cantatas.com. Retrieved 2019-05-08.
- "JOSU DE SOLAUN SOTO". www.naxos.com. Retrieved 2019-05-08.