Mexican-American concert pianist to return to Durban for performance on August 18.
Mexican-American concert pianist Gustavo Romero will return to Durban after his concert appearance on August 7 to perform a selection of Beethoven’s piano sonatas at the Howard College Theatre on August 18. This is a continuation of his 2008 tour to South Africa where he launched his three-year cycle of all the Beethoven sonatas in seven recitals in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban
Gustavo Romero has a stellar reputation for both the technical brilliance and interpretive depth of his playing, as well as his commitment to in-depth exploration of individual composers. For the past nine years, he has prepared a series of concerts focusing on the music of one composer. So far, he has presented the works of Chopin, Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Schumann, Schubert, and Brahms. These concerts take place initially at the Athenaeum Summer Festival in La Jolla, California, and during this Festival, Mr. Romero also lectures on the artists at the University of California, San Diego. This July, he presented recitals featuring the music of Mendelssohn, Haydn, and Händel in celebration of their 200th and 250th birth and death anniversaries.
A native of San Diego, California, with heritage in Guadalajara, Mexico, Gustavo Romero discovered his love and gift for music at age five, when being introduced to the piano of a neighbour. He started taking lessons, and gave his first public performances at the age of 10, while also winning his first piano competition. His early teachers included Ilana Mysior. Following a recommendation by Bohemian pianist Rudolf Serkin, Gustavo moved to New York City to attend, and graduate from The Juilliard School. At age 13, he performed with the New York Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta.
In 1983 he won the Avery Fisher Young Artist Career Grant, and in 1989 First Prize in the Clara Haskil International Piano Competition in Switzerland. In 2004, Dallas radio station WRR selected one of his concerts as the best performance of the year. After five years as assistant professor at the University of Illinois/Champaign, Mr. Romero is now associate professor of piano at the University of North Texas.
This summer, he returns to South Africa to continue his ambitious project of presenting Beethoven's complete piano sonatas on three continents, in seven recitals, within three years. This cycle was launched in Johannesburg and Cape Town in 2007, is being continued in Palm Springs, Hong Kong, Taipei, Durban, Johannesburg, Bangkok, and Mexico City, and will conclude in 2010.
His performance on August 18 takes place at 19h30 at Howard College Theatre. Tickets R50 (R30 concessions). For bookings call Mandy on 031 260 3353.
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