Venezuelan pianist Luis Parés: Concerts at the Bolívar Hall and other London venues

Luis Parés is quite an exceptional Venezuelan pianist, whose pre-graduate and post-graduate studies have been fully sponsored by the Royal College of Music.

In 2004, he won the "best soloist of the RCM" prize, among many others. His focused, controlled and yet highly emotional performances are much appreciated by the audience which fills to capacity whichever venue he happens to perform in.

Here is a list of his next concerts, including the one at the Bolívar Hall on Thursday 23 June 2005, 7.30pm , with Giovanni Guzzo , the Venezuelan violinist who won the "best RAM student" award in 2004. 

  • Tuesday 07 June 2005, 1.05pm
    St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square
    Amy Dickson  (saxophone)
    Luis Parés   (piano)
    • Gershwin   Three Preludes
    • Graham Fitkin   Passing (for tenor saxophone and tape)
    • Piazzola  History of Tango
    • Iturralde  Pequeña Czarda
  • Wednesday 08 June 2005, 4.25pm
    Concert Hall, Royal College of Music
    Mark Braithwaite (viola)
    Luis Parés (piano)
    • Bach   Chorale Prelude in G minor "Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland"
    • Hindemith    Sonata Op. 25 No. 4
    • Dale  Phantasy Op. 4
    • Bach  Chorale Prelude in F minor "Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ"
  • Thursday 23 June 2005, 7.30pm
    Bolivar Hall of the Embassy of Venezuela, 54 Grafton Way, W1T 5DL (Nearest tube: Warren Street)
    Information: 020 7388 5788
    Giovanni Guzzo (violin)
    Luis Parés (piano)
    • Ludwig van Beethoven Sonata in D major Op.12 N.1
      Allegro con brio
      Tema con Variazioni. Andante con moto
      Rondo. Allegro
    • Johannes Brahms Sonata in D minor Op. 108
      Allegro
      Adagio
      Un poco presto e con sentimento
      Presto agitato

    --------- interval ----------

    • Sergei Prokofiev Sonata No. 1 in F minor Op. 80
      Andante assai
      Allegro brusco
      Andante
      Allegrissimo - Andante assai, come prima
    • Alberto Ginastera Pampeana No. 1
Luis Parés was born in Venezuela and is currently studying piano with Gordon Fergus-Thompson at the Royal College of Music. He holds a scholarship supported by an Elsa & Leonard Cross Memorial Award. He started his musical studies at the age of 9 with Juan Antúnez. He has also studied with Sergio Cimarosti and the Trio di Trieste at the United World College of the Adriatic (Duino, Italy) and with Igor Lavrov in Caracas.
He has received several prizes including the Order "José Félix Ribas" in its third class (Venezuela, 1997), special mention at the Stefano Marizza Piano Competition (Italy, 1998) and first prize at the Silvia Eisenstein National Piano Competition (Venezuela, 2001). He has won important chamber music prizes including Third Prize at the Maria Canals International Music Competition, Branch Duo Sonatas (Barcelona, 2004), the Beethoven Piano Society of Europe Gwyneth George Prize (London, 2003) and the XIV Paper de Musica Competition (Catalonia, 2003) as well as many internal competitions at the RCM including the Concerto Competition, Kathleen Turner Piano Chamber Music Prize and Second Prize at the Beethoven Piano Competition. He has also performed in masterclasses including those by Stephen Kovacevich and Leif Ove Andsnes.

Luis is an active solo and chamber music recitalist and has performed in Venezuela, Italy, England and Spain. In London, he frequently performs in venues such as St James's Piccadilly, St Martin-in-the-Fields and the Bolivar Hall. He has played in Venezuela with the Orquesta Sinfónica Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho, the Orquesta Sinfónica de Maracaibo and the Orquesta Sinfónica Municipal de Caracas concertos by Rachmaninov and Schumann. In England he recently performed Beethoven First Piano Concerto with the RCM Sinfonietta conducted by Neil Thomson. Forthcoming engagements include recitals in London, Manchester and Catalonia.

Giovanni Guzzo was born in Margarita, Venezuela, in 1986, he started his Music studies with the Piano at the age of five and started his Violin studies at the age of six. From 1996 he was a pupil of Emil Friedman and Luis Miguel Gonzales. Since then he has performed as soloist in various venues in Venezuela, Italy, Spain and the UK. He has participated in masterclasses given by Jean Jacques Kantorow, Virginie Robilliard, Lenuta Ciulei, Raphael Quartet, Norbert Brainin, Andres Cardenes, Mauricio Fuks,
Zvi Zeitlin, Tasmin Little and Stoika Milanova. He attended The Meadowmount School of Music, New York where he studied with Sally Thomas from the Juilliard Music School, New York. He was awarded First Prize in the XII National Violin Competition Juan Bautista Plaza in 1999 in Venezuela. Since then, he has performed as soloist with important VenezuelanOrchestras such as the Venezuelan Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfonica Municipal of Caracas, Aragua Symphony Orchestra, giving concerts in many Venezuelan Cities. He is currently a student of Maurice Hasson at the Royal Academy of Music in London where he has worked with prestigious musicians such as Sir Colin Davis, Hugo Wolf, Mats Lidstrom and Colin Carr, among others. Giovanni Guzzo plays a Spiritus Sorsana Violin, on loan from the Royal Academy of Music. He has recently been awarded with a MBF String Award ( MBF Music Education Award 2004) and he is currently a finalist in the YCAT ( Young Concert Artists Trust) to take place in May 2005 at the Wigmore Hall.