Pablo Sáinz Villegas


A charismatic young ambassador of Spanish culture, entrancing audiences with his bravura technique, beautifully rounded tone, and elegant phrasing

“The subtlety, passion, technical command, and dramatic flair that Villegas displayed made an evening to be remembered.” — San Francisco Classical Voice

Friday, June 5, 2015, at 8:00 PM

Baruch Performing Arts Center
55 Lexington Avenue (entrance on East 25th Street between Lexington and Third Avenues)
New York City (see map)

Tickets: $27.50 / $22 for students, seniors, and NYCCGS members. Join now.

Click here to purchase tickets.

Program:
VILLA-LOBOS Five Preludes
JOHN WILLIAMS Rounds
RODRIGO Invocation and Dance
GERHARD Fantasia for Guitar
BARRIOS MANGORE Un Sueño en la floresta
GUTIERREZ Alma Llanera


Pablo Sáinz Villegas is hailed by critics as one of the world’s leading classical guitarists and celebrated as a natural ambassador of Spanish culture with performances in more than thirty countries since his auspicious debut with the New York Philharmonic under Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos at Avery Fisher Hall. Recent performance highlights include appearances with the San Francisco Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Houston Symphony, National Orchestra of Lyon, the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, and Copenhagen Philharmonic, and tours in Germany, France and Japan.

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 of new repertoire for guitar, he performed the world premiere of Rounds, the fist guitar piece to have been written by five-time Academy Award-winning composer John Williams.

He has performed as soloist worldwide with orchestras, including the Israel Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony and the Boston Symphony at the renowned Tanglewood Festival. Further, he has appeared at such prestigious venues as the Philharmonie in Berlin, Carnegie Hall in New York, Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in Moscow, Philharmonic Hall in St. Petersburg, Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco, the Sala Verdi in Milan, and the Vienna Musikverein. Along with fellow Spaniard Frühbeck de Burgos, he has shared the stage with renowned conductors such as Carlos Kalmar, Juanjo Mena, Jean-Jacques Kantorow, Alondra de la Parra, and has performed in the presence of the Dalai Lama as well as the Royal Family of Spain.

Mr. Sáinz Villegas is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including “El Ojo Critico,” making him the first guitarist to ever win Spain’s top classical music honor. Prior to winning the famed Parkening International Guitar Competition, Pablo was already the recipient of more than thirty international awards, including the Francisco Tárrega Award and the Andrés Segovia Award at age fifteen.

Known for his outreach programs, Mr. 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 children and youth, which has served more than 10,000 children.

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