Antonio Pastor Otero, Piano

Biography

Born in Málaga, Spain, pianist Antonio Pastor began his musical studies with Alfredo Gil at the Conservatorio Superior de Música (Málaga), where he obtained the diploma 'Professor of Piano'. He completed further studies with Fernando Puchol at the Real Conservatorio de Música de Madrid, where he received the highest prize awarded in 2000 ("Mencion Honorifica Final de Carrera"). In 2005, he obtained the Diplôme d'Enseignement with the 'Mention Très Bien avec Distinction' and the Prix François Dumont at the Conservatoire de Musique de Genève (Switzerland), as a student of Sébastien Risler. He completed the 'Diplôme de Soliste avec Distinction' at the Conservatoire Supérieur et Académie de Musique Tibor Varga under the guidance of Dominique Weber.

Mr. Pastor has participated in music festivals such as the Gijón International Piano Festival in Spain in masterclasses with Boris Slutsky and Marc Durand. In the summer of 2005, he attended the Banff Centre for the Arts in Canada on a full scholarship, in the class of Julian Martin. In addition, he has performed in masterclasses of Ana Guijarro, Alexei Nasedkin, Bruno Canino, and John O'Connor.

He has offered solo recitals in various locations in Spain, including: Auditiorio de las Rozas "Joaquín Rodrigo" (Madrid), Centro Cultural Provincial de Málaga, Teatro Municipal "Miguel de Cervantes" (Malaga), Universidad Politécnica de Gandía (Valencia). Other recital appearances include the series "II Semana de la Música de Ronda" (Málaga) and "Jóvenes Solistas Internacionales" (Gijón). In collaboration with the Orquesta Académica de Madrid, he performed at the Circulo de Bellas Artes de Madrid, in a concert organized by the Department of Cultural Affairs of the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. In Switzerland, he has performed at the Conservatoire de Musique de Genève, the Chapelle of Sion and a recital hosted by the Société Frederic Chopin in Geneva. In 2008, he presented recitals in Pianists of the World Series at St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London and in The American Church in Paris. He also appeared as soloist with the Orchestre Tibor Varga and with the Symphony University Orchestra under the direction of maestro Claudio Vandelli and Gary Lewis respectively. Recently he performed a solo recital broadcast live on WFMT radio from Preston Bradley Hall in Chicago, as part of the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts Series.

As a recipient of the First Prize in the competition 'Muestra de Jóvenes Interpretes Ciudad de Málaga' (Spain 2000), he was given the opportunity to record a CD in cooperation with the city's Department of Cultural Affairs. Additional awards include an Honorable Mention in the 2005 Bradshaw and Buono International Competition, and the 2009 Honors Concerto Competition at CU. He has received numerous scholarships from organizations such as the Minister of Culture of Spain, AIE, Consejeria de Educacion de la Comunidad de Madrid, Fondation Hans Wilsdorf, the Banff Centre for the Arts and The N. and T. Anderson Scholarship from the University of Colorado at Boulder during his doctoral studies with Dr. Andrew Cooperstock.

He has served as Assistant Coordinator and Chamber Music Faculty at the Escuela de Verano para Jóvenes músicos "Ciudad de Lucena" in Córdoba, Spain and is on the piano faculty of the Conservatoire de Musique de Genève in Switzerland.