Gabriela Montero: Winter/Spring 2009
From Grammy Nominations to Presidential Inauguration (With a Few Trademark Improvisations in Between), Venezuelan-American Pianist Gabriela Montero Is an Artist in Demand
The New Year begins auspiciously for Gabriela Montero, with a performance of truly historic importance: on Tuesday, January 20, the Venezuelan-American pianist will be in Washington D.C. performing at Barack Obama’s Presidential Inauguration (the televised ceremony begins at 11:30 am). Montero will join cellist Yo-Yo Ma, violinist Itzhak Perlman, and clarinetist Anthony McGill for the performance of a new work composed by John Williams, who also provided music for Obama’s election night rally in Chicago’s Grant Park. Soon after, Montero may once again be in the national media spotlight, when winners of the 51st annual Grammy Awards are announced in Los Angeles (Feb 8). Montero’s latest recording of improvisations, Baroque, is already a Billboard bestseller and has been both nominated in the Best Classical Crossover Album Award category and specified as one of the albums in the Best Producer category.
Montero first came to national attention in the United States after the release of her debut album for EMI Classics, Bach and Beyond, in September 2006. That album was also a Billboard bestseller, and introduced many people to an artist who is now widely acclaimed, not only for her performances of traditional concert and recital repertoire, but also for her breathtaking abilities as an improviser. Other milestones in the previous few seasons have included Montero’s rapturously received debut with the New York Philharmonic, a feature story in the Wall Street Journal, and a profile on television’s top-rated news program, 60 Minutes. Her latest standard repertoire recording, Rhapsody, features Montero with Gautier Capuçon, performing cello sonatas by Prokofiev and Rachmaninov. The San Francisco Chronicle gave the album its top rating, noting:
“For once, here’s a CD with cover art emphasizing the hot looks of the performers that actually has some bearing on the music. French cellist Gautier Capuçon and Venezuelan pianist Gabriela Montero have put their heads and hands together for a positively steamy romp through two great Russian cello sonatas, and the results are remarkable.”
In the coming months, Gabriela Montero will be busy both in the U.S. and in Europe, giving recitals and concerto performances. Highlights include performances of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with the Pittsburgh Symphony – her debut with the orchestra (Jan 23 and 25) – and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (Jan 26-28); a recital at Vienna’s renowned Konzerthaus (Apr 18); and a recital tour of Germany (Munich, Apr 19; Bonn, Apr 20; Hamburg, Apr 21; Dortmund, Apr 22; Heidelberg, Apr 23; Thuringia [Thuringia Bach Festival – Apr 25]; and Cologne, Apr 26). Additional European engagements include Brahms’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with Fabio Luisi conducting the Vienna Symphony (May 15 and 16) and recitals in Copenhagen (May 18), Bilbao (May 20), Dresden (May 24), Essen (Klavier-Festival Ruhr – May 25), and Paris (May 28).
A complete list of Gabriela Montero’s performance schedule for winter/spring 2009 can be found at the artist’s website: www.gabrielamontero.com.
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N.B. Beginning January 2009, 21C Media Group is proud to represent Gabriela Montero for publicity and promotion. Requests for interviews and other information can be forwarded to [email protected].
– January 19, 2009