Biography
Gabriela Montero’s visionary interpretations and unique compositional gifts have garnered her critical acclaim and a devoted following on the world stage. Anthony Tommasini remarked in The New York Times that “Montero’s playing had everything: crackling rhythmic brio, subtle shadings, steely power…soulful lyricism…unsentimental expressivity.”
Recipient of the 2018 Heidelberger Frühling Music Prize, Montero’s recent and forthcoming highlights include debut invitations to perform with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, New World Symphony, New Zealand Symphony, and the Orchestre National de France; an extensive European tour with the City of Birmingham Symphony and Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla; residencies with the Sao Paolo, Prague Radio, and Basel symphonies, as well as regular appearances at the National Arts Centre of Canada where she was appointed Creative Partner to the organisation for four years from the 2021-2022 season.
The 2022-2023 season also sees the launch of “Gabriela Montero at Prager”, a new ongoing artistic residency established at the Prager Family Center for the Arts in Easton, Maryland. Montero also makes venue debuts in Paris at the Seine Musicale and at the Philharmonie, the latter featuring the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony and Marin Alsop. Montero also re-joins forces with Alsop for performances of her “Latin” Concerto with the Chicago Symphony at the Ravinia Festival and the Dallas Symphony, while bringing her 2018 composition Babel to the Oregon Symphony. Other recent performances of the “Latin” Concerto have been given with the Orchestra of the Americas on tour at the Hamburg Elbphilharmonie, Edinburgh Festival, Carnegie Hall, and the New World Center in Miami, Florida.
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Recent News
Gabriela Montero Makes Her Paris Orchestral Debut with Orchestre National de France – 16 June 2022
Gabriela Montero makes her Paris orchestral debut with Orchestre National de France this Thursday (16 June) at the Maison de la Radio et de la Musique, Radio France. The programme features Strauss' Till Eulenspiegel, Beethoven's Symphony No. 7, and Gabriela will play...
Gabriela Montero Embarks on Tour with City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Gabriela Montero begins her two week tour with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra this weekend, starting off at the Stadthalle Wuppertal in Germany on Saturday (14 May). After successful performances in Birmingham, Gabriela brings Tchaikovsky's Piano Concert...
Gabriela Montero Debuts at Carnegie Hall – 18 March 2022
Gabriela Montero will debut at Carnegie Hall tomorrow evening (18 March, 19:30). The programme features Schumann’s 'Kinderszenen', a selection of Chick Corea’s 'Children’s Songs' and Shostakovich’s Piano Sonata No. 2 in B Minor, Op. 61. Gabriela also takes to the...
Reviews
“Montero’s playing had everything: crackling rhythmic brio, subtle shadings, steely power in climactic moments, soulful lyricism in the ruminative passages and, best of all, unsentimental expressivity”
“Montero galvanized the audience through her performances of Brahms, Lecuona, Ginastera and her own improvisations [formed by taking motif suggestions from the audience]. These spontaneous compositions are steeped in expression and feeling. The audience were dazzled by her impeccable displays of compositional excellence. Montero exposes the world’s loss of improvisation and virtuosic composition.”
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“Montero’s playing had everything: crackling rhythmic brio, subtle shadings, steely power in climactic moments, soulful lyricism in the ruminative passages and, best of all, unsentimental expressivity”
“Gabriela Montero is a Venezuelan ball of fire […] she extracted more downhome sweetness from the lyrical parts of Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor than I have heard in a long time, but her attack was still tigerish when required. “
“Montero’s sound is almost miraculously sumptuous and luscious; her phrasing gives a sense of both extension and suspension. She played the noir-ish first movement with a cinematographer’s sense of light and shadow, while the second movement floated by in simple innocence, like the most beautiful pale-blue dream from your childhood. Montero’s masterfully improvised cadenzas in the first and second movement harken back to an era when such skill and creativity were the norm for concert pianists.”
“Montero played the piano part in the Piazzolla with crisp athleticism. In Mozart’s E flat Concerto, K449, her tone was rather more full and forceful, but the contrapuntal finale had irresistible rhythmic clarity. As a solo encore, Montero characteristically asked the audience for a tune she could play with and duly delivered a thunderously virtuosic set of improvisations on Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”
“Montero galvanized the audience through her performances of Brahms, Lecuona, Ginastera and her own improvisations [formed by taking motif suggestions from the audience]. These spontaneous compositions are steeped in expression and feeling. The audience were dazzled by her impeccable displays of compositional excellence. Montero exposes the world’s loss of improvisation and virtuosic composition.”
Peter Korfmacher, Leipziger Volkszeitung
“Gabriela Montero demonstrated exceptional mastery, and seeing such music created in front of your own eyes was an absolutely unique experience… there are not many artists about whom it can truly be said that their talent borders on genius.”
“The piano recital by Gabriela Montero at the Vienna Konzerthaus was like a visit from outer space. First… the Venezuelan pianist immersed herself completely in the three interludes, Op 117 by Johannes Brahms – and then presented a massive version of Franz Liszt’s B minor Sonata, played already like music that was invented that very moment. Gruff and brooding in detail, with calm and overview of the architectural design Montero upheld an almost unbearable tension during the gigantic work…”
“Montero is the sort of artist whom classical music lovers should most appreciate. “
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Contact
Derek Chandruang - General Management
dchandruang@imgartists.com
+44 (0) 20 7957 5810
Joel Wilson - Managerial Associate
jwilson@imgartists.com
+44 (0) 207 957 5888
Media
Featured Discography
Piano Concertos
2019
Solatino
2010
Live in Germany
2010
Baroque
2007