Artist Faculty
Jose Ramon Mendez
PIANIST
Oberlin Conservatory of Music, USA
Described as "an artist with a polished sound and tremendous constructive power" and hailed by the Hoja del Lunes de Madrid, as "the Spanish pianist of his generation," Jose Ramon Mendez is one of the most exciting Spanish pianists of today. Recent performances include Chopin's first piano concerto with the Cuban National Symphony Orchestra and Manuel de Falla's "Nights in the Gardens of Spain" with the Nittany Valley Symphony, as well as numerous solo and chamber music performances in the United States, Europe, and Asia.
-
His playing has been featured on WQXR's "Performance Today" and on Classical KMFA. He has been a guest performer at many music festivals, including Caramoor Festival, Barge Music Series, Festival Internacional de Piano de las Islas Canarias, Music at Penns Woods, Amalfi Coast International Music Festival, "Tocando el Cielo," Musica en Compostela, the Stony Brook International Piano Festival, and the Santander International Music Festival to name a few. As a chamber musician, Mendez has collaborated with such distinguished artists as Karl Leister, Itzhak Perlman, Michael Tree, Pascual Martinez-Nieto, and Pinchas Zukerman.
Mendez received his first music instruction from his father and by the age of seven was already performing on Spanish television and radio stations. He made his solo debut at the age of eleven at the Oviedo Philharmonic Society in Oviedo, Spain, the youngest performer ever to do so in the history of the society. He first gained international recognition when he performed Liszt's first piano concerto under the direction of Sergiu Commissiona at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. Since then, he has concertized extensively in his native Spain, the United States, Italy, England, Portugal, Holland, and Japan to great acclaim. With his poetry, intellect, and masterful technique, he has been praised by critics and celebrated by audiences around the world.At the age of 18, Mendez's success brought him to the United States, where he began his studies at Manhattan School of Music in New York City. He completed his Bachelors and Masters Degrees in piano performance with renowned pedagogue Solomon Mikowsky and went on to finish his Doctorate of Musical Arts under the tutelage of Byron Janis and Miyoko Lotto. During his stay in New York, he won top prizes in many international competitions, including Pilar Bayona International Piano Competition, Hilton Head Island International Piano Competition, Frederick Chopin Competition in New York, and Hermanos Guerrero International Piano Competition, among others.Mendez's professional teaching career began in 1996, when he was invited to teach master classes at the Gijon School of Music. Since then, he has given master classes in numerous cities in Spain, including Lugo, Aviles, Valencia, Gijon, Oviedo, Santiago de Compostela, and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, as well as in the United States at top music schools such as Oberlin Conservatory, Northwestern University, University of Michigan, and Columbus State University. Mendez also taught as assistant teacher to Miyoko Lotto at the Perlman Music Program, a program for gifted young musicians founded by the world famous violinist Itzhak Perlman. Currently in the summers, he is the Artistic Director and on the faculty of the Gijon International Piano Festival in Gijon, Spain, as well as frequently being invited to perform and teach at various festivals.Formerly on the faculty at The University of Texas at Austin, he formed part of the Artist Piano Faculty at New York University in New York City from 2007 to 2014. He also also been on the Piano Faculty at Pennsylvania State University, University of Northern Texas, and Northwestern University. Currently, Dr. Mendez is Associate Professor of Piano at the esteemed Oberlin Conservatory.Jose Ramon Mendez is a Yamaha Artist.
Jean Saulnier
PIANIST
Université de Montréal, Canada
Jean Saulnier leads an active career as a recitalist, chamber musician and teacher, with broad experience in both the solo and the chamber music repertoire. He is a sought-after collaborator by the best musicians from Canada and abroad, speaking eloquently to the flexibility, natural playing ability, and spirit of partnership he brings to every performance. A recipient of numerous prizes in national and international competitions, including the William Kapell International Competition, the Prix d’Europe and the Leschetizky Competition, Jean Saulnier has performed in Canada, United States, South America and Europe.
-
Saulnier has been guest soloist with renowned orchestras such as the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, the Orchestre symphonique de Québec, the Orchestre Métropolitain, the Rochester Philharmonic and I Musici de Montréal. He is frequently heard in major Canadian music festivals and on CBC radio.
Performing with his long-time partners’ cellist Yegor Dyachkov and clarinetist André Moisan, Jean Saulnier has recorded many major works from the chamber music repertoire on the Pelléas, ATMA, Analekta and Doberman-Yppan recording labels.Jean Saulnier studied with Marc Durand, Leon Fleisher, and André Laplante. His doctorate from the University of Montreal was saluted with the Governor General’s Academic Gold Medal. He is currently Associate Professor at the Music Faculty of the University of Montreal where he has been teaching for over 20 years. He is regularly invited to give master classes at institutions of higher education. He frequently serves as a jury member for national and international competitions, higher education institutions and government agencies.Jean Saulnier has been on the Artist Faculty of Porto Pianofest since 2018.
Nuno Marques
PIANIST
Artistic Director & Co-Founder
Award-winning Portuguese pianist Nuno Marques has developed an extensive, international performing career from his current base in New York City, where he directs Porto Pianofest – an international piano festival held annually in Porto, Portugal. He is the festival’s founder and artistic director. A Doctor of Musical Arts, Nuno is a versatile musician, equally comfortable playing solo, chamber music, teaching, or collaborating with other forms of artistic expression.His most recent concerts took him to renowned music halls and festivals in Europe, Asia and the US, where he played twice at Carnegie Hall.
-
Nuno Marques has also embarked twice on extensive concert tours in China, and has given public masterclasses in Portugal, Spain, the World Piano Congress in Serbia, Myanmar, China and the US.
As a soloist Nuno Marques has performed with the Orquestra do Norte – Portugal, the Artave Orchestra, Jovem Orquestra de Famalicão, and the Orchestra for Myanmar, where he participated in a humanitarian project with young musicians from the Rohingya minority. He has recorded for Antena2 Radio Portugal and Centro Atlântico Editora, and is a founding member of prizewinning chamber music ensembles, with whom he performed and recorded throughout Europe. With a wide interest in contemporary music, he has also performed with leading contemporary music ensembles, having commissioned and premiered many works for solo piano and ensemble.Nuno Marques holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree (DMA) from Rutgers University, where he studied with Min Kwon. He is also a graduate from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London, studying with Artur Pizarro. He completed his first Master’s Degree in piano performance at the Royal College of Music, London, with Niel Immelman; and a second Master’s degree in Instrumental Pedagogy from the Aveiro University in Portugal. Having first moved to New York to attend NYU— the Steinhardt School, under the tutelage of José Ramón Méndez— he was awarded the prestigious Reinhold Scholarship and taught classes at the NYU piano department. Throughout his career, Nuno has had the opportunity to work with important pianists such as Lazar Berman, Irina Zaritzkaya, Vitaly Margoulis, Alexander Kobrin, and Dominique Weber; and in chamber music settings with Bernard Greenhouse (Beaux Arts Piano Trio), Takacs Quartet, Florestan Piano Trio, Gary Hoffman and Ilia Grubert. Nuno has been awarded prizes at piano competitions in London and Portugal. His studies have been sponsored by the European Union (Dfes), NYU- Reinhold Foundation, Fundação Gulbenkian and the AAMSL. Nuno Marques is the Music Director of Stars of American Ballet, a dance company offering world class performances bringing together principal dancers and soloists from major American companies. With Stars of American Ballet, Nuno has toured through Israel, Hungary, Portugal, and will embark on a tour through USA and Serbia in 2022.Nuno Marques founded Porto Pianofest in 2016. His excitement to support the new generation of pianists and bring the greatest musicians and mentors to his native country has brought this young festival to quick international esteem. Porto Pianofest has since expanded its activity to NYC, and will continue its model of providing performance opportunities and world-class instruction to a number of American cities in the coming year.Nuno Marques is passionate about traveling, literature and photography.
Oscar Colomina i Bosch
COMPOSER & CONDUCTOR
Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía, Madrid
Dean of the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía in Madrid since 2020, Òscar is a sought-after composer and conductor. Before relocating to Spain, he held important positions in the UK as Director of Music of The Yehudi Menuhin School (2017-2020) and Professor of Orchestration at the Royal Academy of Music (2013-2020). He has guest conducted and lectured at the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague –School for Young Talent, the Akoesticum Talent Programme in Holland, and is part of the teaching faculty of Porto Pianofest.
-
A member of the Spanish National Youth Orchestra (performing with Carlo Maria Giulini and Gianandrea Noseda), he later pursued further studies at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama and Royal Academy of Music with Malcolm Singer and Simon Bainbridge (composition) and Alan Hazeldine (conducting), receiving advice from Sir Harrison Birtwistle, Alexander Goehr and Julian Anderson.
A commission from the Yehudi Menuhin International Violin Competition, Shpiglfor solo violin (2016), was described by American composer JohnAdams as ‘a small masterpiece of both musical and dramatic imagination’. Impressed by the piece, Adams programmed Shpigl in the Los Angeles Philharmonic Green Umbrella Series ‘Noon to Midnight’ festival, inviting Òscar to attend the American premiere in theWalt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles.Imatges(2021), written for the Iturbi Competition, has already received performances in Washington, New York and Hannover, with composer Benet Casablancas considering it ‘an important addition to the Spanish Contemporary piano repertoire’.Òscar’s orchestral work, Entfaltung (2015), written for the Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León, was praised by pianist and conductor Jean-Bernard Pommier, who wrote of Òscar’s‘perfect control of orchestration and timing’ and Entfaltung‘s ‘strong and captivating music’.His music has been conducted by Jaime Martín, Pablo González, Baldur Brönnimann, and Christopher Austin. Other commissions and performances include the Aldeburgh Festival, Philharmonia Orchestra, Centro Nacional de Difusión Musical, Orquesta Sinfónica del Principado de Asturias, Real Filharmonia de Galicia, Trío Arbós, Orchestra of the Swan, Grup Instrumental de València and the Schubert Ensemble, in concert venues across the UK, USA, Spain, Portugal, France, Denmark and Italy, numbering the Wigmore Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room, Yale and New York Universities, Palau de la Música de Valencia and Auditorio de Galicia among them. His compositions have been broadcast in Spain, Portugal, Mexico, Denmark and the USA.
