VILLALBA, MIQUEL (b 1968 )Born in Barcelona in 1968. Miquel Villalba studied at the Escolanía of Montserrat, with Antoni Besses in Barcelona, Claude Helffer in Paris and in Antwerp with Frédéric Gevers, who described him as one of the most gifted pianists of his generation. With a Prix d’Honneur for piano and accompaniment, he has won a number of prizes in national and international competitions, among them first prize in the Barcelona Berga Competition, the Albacete, the Carlet in Valencia, the Granada and Barcelona Joan Massià, the Prize of the Association of Catalan Composers, two diplomas of honour at the Barcelona Maria Canals Competition and awards at the Antwerp Jonge Virtuozen and elsewhere.
Miquel Villalba has given recitals and appeared as a soloist and as a chamber musician in Spain, France, Belgium, Germany, Brazil and the Philippines, and plays an active part in the musical life of his own country, with many first performances to his credit, and works dedicated to him. He is a member of the Madrid contemporary music group Proyecto Guerrero and collaborates regularly with other groups, including Enigma of Zaragoza and Barcelona 216.
His recordings include music by Liszt, Josep Soler, Paul Hindemith, Robert Gerhard, Miquel Roger, Josep Cercós, Benet Casablancas, Joaquim Homs, Xavier Gols, and Joaquín Nin-Culmell.
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