Wednesday,
October 29, 2008, 12:15 p.m.
Washington García, Piano
Preludes
for Piano
Allegro ben ritmato e deciso
Andante con moto e poco rubato
Allegro ben ritmato e deciso
George Gershwin (1898 –1937)
Mephisto Waltz No. 1
Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Pasional
Enrique Espín Yépez (1924 –1997)
Piano Sonata No. 1 Op. 22
Allegro marcato Presto misterioso
Adagio molto appassionato
Ruvido ed ostinato
Alberto Ginastera (1916 – 1983)
Born in Quito, Ecuador, Washington García began
his musical studies at the age of 6. Dr. García holds a bachelor
of music from the National Conservatory of Music in Ecuador, and master’s
and doctoral degrees from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University,
where he graduated at the age of 25, becoming the youngest Latin American
to have received a doctoral degree in piano performance from Peabody.
Dr. García was awarded first prizes at the Guillermo Wright-Vallarino
National Piano Competition in Ecuador, the Elizabeth Davis Memorial Piano
Competition and the 19th International Young Artist Piano Competition
in Washington D.C., the 2004 Baltimore Music Club Piano Competition, and
the Harrison Winter Piano Competition at the Peabody Institute. That award
led to a performance with the Peabody Concert Orchestra. He was also a
top prizewinner at the Yale Gordon Piano Competition and the Russell Wonderlic
Piano Competition. In addition to awards granted by the Peabody Institute
and the Ecuadorian government, including the prize “Monseñor
Leonidas Proaño” and the award “Al Mérito Laboral,”
Dr. García was also named a Presser Scholar and grant recipient
by the Presser Music Foundation. Most recently, he was awarded the Friends
of Fine Arts Scholarly/Creative Award presented by the College of Fine
Arts and Communication at Texas State University-San Marcos.
Since his debut with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ecuador at the
age of 15, Dr. García has performed extensively. He played at the
Claudio Arrau International Piano Seminar in Chile for former President
Patricio Aylwin and in Israel with the Campus Orchestra of the City of
Tel-Aviv under the baton of maestro Sam Zebba. Dr. García was chosen
by the Kennedy Center to receive one of two $25,000 grants awarded to
pianists in its Fellowships of the Americas Program. That honor led to
performances in venues throughout the United States, including the Kennedy
Center Terrace Theater and Millennium Stage, the Organization of American
States, the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Corcoran
Gallery of Art, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Since his European
debut in Rome, under the auspices of Continental Airlines, Dr. García
has been an active recitalist, soloist and lecturer in prestigious venues
in Italy, Switzerland, Austria, France, Spain, Hungary, Canada, Israel,
Hong Kong, Chile, Mexico, Ecuador and the United States.
Dr. García served in the faculty of the Peabody Preparatory of
Johns Hopkins University and is currently an assistant professor of piano
at Texas State University-San Marcos, where he is the coordinator of the
piano department. He also teaches at the Austin Chamber Music Festival.
Dr. García has been sponsored by Continental Airlines since 1997.
Upcoming engagements include performances for Hong Kong radio and a tour
of Italy with the Texas State University Symphony Orchestra.
UPCOMING
CONCERTS
Nov 5 Hyunah Yu, Soprano and Alon Goldstein, Piano
Nov 12 Moran Katz, Clarinet and Vincent Balse, Piano
Nov 19 Ingrid Marsoner, Piano
Nov 26 Patrick Jee, Cello and Hye-Yeon Park, Piano