Gabriel Escudero, Piano

Biography

Considered by music critics as one of the best young Spanish pianists of his generation, Gabriel Escudero has been awarded many prizes from various competitions such as 1st prize in the Young Artist Competition in Murcia and the Best National Instrumentalist in Teatro Campoamor in Oviedo (1996), 2nd prize in “The Ruperto Chapi” Piano Competition, 1st prize in the “Ciutat de Manresa” piano competition, 1st prize at the “Infanta Cristina” Piano Competition, Special Steinway & Sons prize (1998) and 1st prize at the “Ciutat de Xativa” Piano Competition (2001). He has performed in many halls in Europe and the United States (Madrid, Murcia, Burgos, Albacete, Valencia, Catalonia, Oviedo, Hamburg, Helsinki, New York, Chicago, Shanghai etc.) and received excellent reviews in newspapers such as La Verdad, El País, ABC, Die Welt. His performances of Brahms, Chopin, and Rachmaninoff have been broadcasted in Spain by RNE and TVE (National Spanish Radio and Television). In the USA, WQXR (New York Classical Radio) and WFMT (Chicago Classical Radio) have broadcasted his performances of works of Granados, Mozart, Bach, Liszt, and Chopin. Mr. Escudero has performed at many international music festivals, including the Steinway&Sons Piano Festival in Hamburg, the Burgos International Music Festival, Mannes Festival in New York, Sierra Musical in Madrid, Keys to the Future in New York and the Almansa International Music Festival, playing solo or with orchestras and ensambles such as the Kammerensemble from the Berlin Opera Orchestra, Ensamble Les Amis in Shanghai, Murcia Symhony Orchestra and Cartagena Chamber Orchestra. Escudero has recently been invited to join Trio Bacarisse. 

During season 2016-2017, Escudero´s engagements include recitals, chamber music concerts and solo with orchestra performances in Spain, France, Italy, Sweden, Bulgaria and Czech Repulic, among others. 

Escudero began his piano lessons at the age of six. He studied first in his hometown Cartagena and after that in Valencia and Madrid with Carlos Apellaniz, Ana Guijarro and under Uzbek pianist Eldar Nebolsin. In 2006, Gabriel moved to New York (USA). He was a scholarship student at the Manhattan School of Music and earned his Master’s degree in 2008 with the famous Russian pedagogue Arkadi Aronov. After that, he received a Goldsmith Foundation award and a Schonberg stipend and completed the Professional Studies at the Mannes College in 2010. He performed actively at the Mannes Festival and worked with renowned artists such as pianist Yefim Bronfman. In 2013, Gabriel received his Doctorate from the Manhattan School of Music in New York after spending the academic year 2012-2013 in Helsinki at the Sibelius Academy.

In the United States, Gabriel Escudero has premiered pieces by American composers Doug Opel and Bruce Stark. In America, he has performed in various halls such as Carnegie Hall, Cervantes Institute, The Queen Sofia Institute, The Scandinavian House, The Polish Consulate, The New York Historical Society Museum and the Chicago Cultural Center.

Deeply interested in piano pedagogy, Dr. Escudero has served on the piano faculty in different schools and programs such as the Sunday Program at Manhattan School of Music in New York, the International School of Music Finland in Helsinki and the FaceArt Institute of Music in Shanghai, China.