Horacio Gutierrez

Considered one of the great pianists of our time, Horacio Gutiérrez is consistently praised by critics and audiences alike for the poetic insight and technical mastery he brings to a diverse repertoire. Born in Havana, Cuba, his professional debut was in 1970 with Zubin Mehta and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Since then, Mr. Gutiérrez has appeared regularly with the world’s greatest orchestras (including all the major London orchestras, U.S. orchestras, the Berlin Philharmonic, and the Concertgebouw Orchestra), and on its major recital series.

Mr. Gutiérrez has given recitals in Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, Berlin’s Philharmonie, New York’s Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall, as well as in Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, and Cleveland. Mr. Gutiérrez has performed with orchestras on numerous occasions at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall and Carnegie Hall, including the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, Montreal Symphony, Orchestre National de France, the Leipzig Gewandhaus, and Dresden Staatskappele. He was a frequent soloist at the Mostly Mozart Festival, appearing on its season-opening Live from Lincoln Center telecast. As a chamber musician, he has collaborated with the Guarneri, Tokyo, and Cleveland quartets, as well as the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. In 1982, he was the recipient of the prestigious Avery Fisher Prize.

Mr. Gutiérrez is an advocate of contemporary American composers. Of special importance were his performances of William Schuman’s Piano Concerto in honor of the composer’s 75th birthday at New York’s 92nd Street Y, and of André Previn’s Piano Concerto with the New York Philharmonic with Mr. Previn conducting. On his recital programs, he frequently included George Perle’s Phantasyplay and a set of Nine Bagatelles that Mr. Perle dedicated to him.

Mr. Gutiérrez’s Telarc recordings include Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerti Nos. 2 and 3 with Lorin Maazel and the Pittsburgh Symphony, nominated for a Grammy Award. Also available on that label are separate discs of the two Brahms Concerti with André Previn and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; and Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 and Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with David Zinman and the Baltimore Symphony. For the Chandos label, he has recorded Prokofiev’s Concerti Nos. 2 and 3 with Neeme Järvi and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. His recording, George Perle: A Retrospective, was named one of the ten best recordings of 2006 by The New Yorker. His television performances in Great Britain, the United States, and France were widely acclaimed and he won an Emmy Award for his fourth appearance with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. A great film and theater fan, he has performed in recital with Irene Worth and Mariette Hartley. Mr. Gutiérrez is an American citizen and resides in New York City with his wife, pianist Patricia Asher.