Inaugural Concert: Pablo & Friends

Pablo Sainz-Villegas

Pablo Sainz-Villegas has been acclaimed by the international press for his "virtuosic and moving performances, with an irresistible exuberance and a range of vivid colors" - The New York Times.

Since his debut at Lincoln Center with the New York Philharmonic Orquestra, he has become a benchmark of today's symphonic guitar, playing with conductors and orchestras such as the Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco, Toronto, Israel, French National and Spanish Philharmonic Orchestras, and performing in iconic venues such as Carnegie Hall in New York, the Berlin Philharmonie, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Auditorio Nacional in Madrid, and Suntory Hall in Tokyo.

Some of his milestones include the performance of the Concierto de Aranjuez with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and its resident conductor, Kirill Petrenko, for the New Year's concert, broadcast in Europe by the ARTE television channel; the Princess of Asturias Awards Concert; and his participation in the Metropolitan Opera Gala last May at the Palace of Versailles. He is the founder and artistic director of La Rioja Festival, an initiative born in 2022.

Scheduled engagements for the 2022/2023 season include, among others, tours with the Berliner Baroque Solisten, with mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard, with the Comunidad de Madrid Orchestra in Switzerland and with the Belgian National Orchestra and conductor Josep Vicent, as well as taking part in the New Year's Concert of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra with conductor Juanjo Mena.

Pablo Sainz-Villegas has been awarded over thirty international prizes, including the Andres Segovia award, the Riojan Arts Award, the Ojo Critico of the Spanish National Radio (RNE) and the Trelles Villademoros Award granted by the Real Cuerpo de la Nobleza del Principado de Asturias. He is also Doctor Honoris Causa by the University of La Rioja. He has played for world leaders such as the Dalai Lama and has performed numerous world premieres including the first work written for guitar by John Williams.

Pablo Sainz-Villegas was born in La Rioja (Spain) and has lived in New York since 2001.

Andre Cebrian and Irene Alfageme