GABRIELA MONTERO @ GLENN GOULD STUDIO (TORONTO) - NOV. 16/07

Roy Thomson Hall presents

GABRIELA MONTERO

Friday, November 16 at 8 PM, GLENN GOULD STUDIO

Tickets on sale to FriendsFirst members today (Oct. 11) at 10 AM;
to the Public on Friday, October 12, at 10 AM

Tickets $29.50 / 416-872-4255 or buy online at www.roythomson.com or visit the Roy Thomson Hall Box Office.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Toronto, ON (October 11, 2007)

“I have rarely come across a talent like Gabriela's. She is a unique artist.”- Martha Argerich

Pianist Gabriela Montero is a brilliant force in the music world, combining her considerable gifts in both the classical and improvisation realm. She will perform a selection of her Baroque-inspired improvisations at Glenn Gould Studio on November 16 at 8 PM (please contact Roy Thomson Box Office for tickets and information).

Gabriela Montero’s debut EMI CD, Gabriela Montero, consisted of one recital disc of Rachmaninoff, Chopin and Liszt, and a second disc of her extraordinary improvisations. From Bach and Mozart to Bruckner, improvisation played as essential a part of a musician's life as it does today for Gabriela. It was in this spirit that Gabriela's follow-up CD, Bach and Beyond, consisting of improvisations, was made. Her latest recording, Baroque – released October 9 on EMI CLASSICS - delves into her unique ability at Baroque-inspired improvisations.

Gabriela has appeared with orchestras across the world from South America and the USA, Europe, Japan to the Far East, with engagements including the New York Philharmonic with Lorin Maazel, NDR Hannover and Boston Philharmonic with Benjamin Zander and the Philharmonia Orchestra. She works regularly with Gustavo Dudamel, especially with the Venezuelan Youth Orchestra “Simon Bolivar”, performing all five Beethoven concertos.

In recital Gabriela has appeared at the Wigmore Hall in London, Kennedy Center in Washington DC, the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Orchard Hall in Tokyo, Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, Herkulessaal in Munich, Musikhalle in Hamburg, and appears this season at the Cologne Philharmonie as part of the Cologne Musiktriennale 2007, the theme being “improvisation”.

Gabriela has appeared at the Roque d'Anthéron, Radio France Montpellier, Schleswig-Holstein, MDR Musiksommer, Penderecki, and Radio Canada Chopin festivals. She has been invited annually to participate in the Progetto Martha Argerich Festival in Lugano, and in Martha Argerich's Buenos Aires Festival.

Gabriela Montero is interested in breaking down any barriers associated with classical music. She is popular with the media, having been profiled on "60 Minutes", and along with her impressive performing credentials, can also be seen playing in clubs, soliciting melodies from the audience to turn into classical improvisations.

Born in Caracas, Venezuela, Gabriela gave her first public performance at the age of five. At eight she made her concerto debut with the Venezuelan Youth Orchestra “Simon Bolivar”, conducted by Jose Antonio Abreu; she was granted a scholarship from the Venezuelan government to study in the US, and rapidly gained recognition there as well as in Europe and South America. At twelve she won the Baldwin National Competition and AMSA Young Artist International Piano Competition, performing Tchaikovsky’s first Piano Concerto with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.

A former student of Lyl Tiempo, Andrez Esterhazy and Professor Hamish Milne at the Royal Academy of Music London, Gabriela has won international accolades including the Bronze Medal at the 13th International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in 1995.

GABRIELA MONTERO
Friday, November 16 at 8 PM / GLENN GOULD STUDIO
250 Front Street, Toronto, ON
Tickets $29.50 - Call 416-872-4255 or buy online at www.roythomsom.com
or visit the Roy Thomson Hall Box Office

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