Pablo Sainz Villegas

Career

Pablo Sáinz Villegas is hailed by critics as the privileged successor of Andrés Segovia and celebrated around the world as a natural ambassador of Spanish culture. Since his auspicious debut with the New York Philharmonic under Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos at Avery Fisher Hall in Lincoln Center, he has performed in more than 30 countries and with orchestras such as the Israel Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the San Francisco Symphony and the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

His “beautifully rounded guitar tone” and “soulful rendition” (The New York Times) makes him one of the most sought-after soloists by today’s foremost orchestras, conductors and festivals. A champion and supporter in developing new repertoire for the Spanish classical guitar, he has performed numerous world premieres, including the first guitar piece to have been written by five-time Academy Award-winning composer John Williams.

Pablo Sáinz Villegas has performed in the presence of the Dalai Lama as well as the Royal Family of Spain and has the honor to serve as Cultural Ambassador to the Vivanco Foundation and its museum, considered by UNESCO as the best museum of wine culture in the world.

Performance highlights for this season include the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the National Orchestra of Lyon, The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, the Copenhagen Philharmonic, the Gewandhaus-Quartett, the Aspen Music Festival and concerts at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC.

Pablo Sáinz Villegas has appeared at such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall in New York, the Philharmonie in Berlin, the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in Moscow, and the Musikverein in Vienna. The success of his performances results in repeated reengagements from renowned conductors such as fellow Spaniard Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Carlos Kalmar, Juanjo Mena and Alondra de la Parra, with whom he recorded Ponce’s Concierto del Sur for Sony Classical achieving Platinum status.

He is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including El Ojo Crítico, making him the first guitarist to ever win Spain's top classical music honour. Prior to winning the famed Parkening International Guitar Competition, Pablo was already the recipient of more than 30 international awards, including the Francisco Tárrega Award and the Andrés Segovia Award at age 15.

Known for his outreach programs, Pablo Sáinz Villegas is the founder of "The Music Without Borders Legacy", a program that seeks to bridge communities across cultural, social, and political borders for the benefit of youth, which has served more than 15,000 children.

Personal life

Pablo Sáinz Villegas was born in La Rioja, Spain and is currently based in New York City.

Music festivals

▪ Flanders Festival. Leuven, Belgium
▪ La Folle Journée. France, Spain, Japan
▪ Grand Teton Music Festival. Jackson Hole, WY, USA
▪ Bellingham Music Festival. Bellingham, WA, USA
▪ Festival Casals.Puerto Rico
▪ Festival de Música Española de Cádiz, Spain
▪ Canarias International Music Festival, Spain
▪ Music Festival of Torroella. Torroella de Montgrí, Spain
▪ International Music Festival “Are More”. Vigo, Spain
▪ Winter Music Festival. Brasilia, Brasil
▪ International Music Festival in Sarajevo “Sarajevska Zima”. Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina
▪ International Music and Dance Festival in Granada. Granada, Spain
▪ Festival Musica (contemporary music). Strasbourg, France
▪ Festival of Perelada. Perelada, Spain
▪ Verano Musical de Segovia. Segovia, Spain

Orchestra concerti

▪ Carlos Blanco Ruiz (b. 1970)
Sinestesias
Orquesta Sinfónica de La Rioja
Conductor: J.L. Barrio
Briones, Spain. October 13, 2013

▪ Tomás Marco (b. 1942)
Concierto de Córdoba
Festival de Córdoba
Córdoba Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: J.L. Temes
Córdoba, Spain. July 3, 2012

▪ Lorenzo Palomo (b. 1938)
Fulgores
Doble Concerto for Guitar & Violin
Valencia Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos
Violin: Alexander Da Costa
Valencia, Spain. December 2, 2011

▪ Jacobo Durán Loriga (b. 1958)
Marsias y Apolo
Doble concerto for Guitar & Clarinet
Proyecto Gerhard
Conductor: J.L. Temes
Clarinet: Salvador Salvador
Auditorio Nacional
Madrid, Spain. February 25, 1999

Solo guitar

▪ Pedro Da Silva
Sunset – West
Finca Festival
Gran Canaria, Spain. July 9, 2013

▪ Jesús Torres (b. 1965)
Ausencias
Sidney, Australia. October 27, 2003

▪ María Dolores Malumbres, (b. 1931)
Burbujas
Festival de Peralada
Peralada, Spain. July, 1998

Education and teachers

▪ Manhattan School of Music, New York City, USA. 2002-2007, David Starobin. Postgraduate Diploma, Professional Studies and Artist Diploma.

▪ Hochschule für Musik “Franz Liszt” Weimar, Germany. 1997-2001, Thomas Müller-Pering. Konzertdiplom - Gitarre.

▪ Real Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid, Spain. 1995-1997, José Luis Rodrigo Bravo. Título de Profesor Superior.

▪ Conservatorio Profesional de Música de La Rioja (1983-1995), Julián Aliende, Miguel Ubis González, Paulino García Blanco. Título de Profesor.

Academic merits

▪ Andres Segovia / Rose Agustine Award. Manhattan School of Music. New York, USA 2007

▪ Extraordinary Prize for Degree´s End of the Graduation 1996/97. Real Conservatorio Superior de Música. Madrid, Spain 1997

▪ Magna Cum Laude, 7th level of Guitar. Real Conservatorio Superior de Música. Madrid, Spain 1996

▪ Extraordinary Prize for Final´s Level. Conservatorio Profesional de Música de La Rioja. Logroño, Spain 1993

▪ Magna Cum Laude, 6th level of Guitar. Conservatorio Profesional de Música de La Rioja. Logroño, Spain 1993