MIQUEL VILLALBA

Having received his initial musical training at the Escolania of Montserrat and at the Conservatori Superior Municipal de Música in Barcelona under the direction of Antoni Besses, Miquel Villalba has since been a pupil of both Claude Helffer in Paris and of the Belgian teacher Frédéric Gevers; he has been described by the latter as being “one of the most gifted pianists of his generation”. An outstanding course of studies led to the Premios de Honor for piano and accompaniment and he has been a prizewinner at various national and international competitions (Albacete, Granada, Carlet, the Maria Canals in Barcelona and the Jonge Virtuozen in Antwerp and elsewhere). He has also been awarded the Premi de l’Associació Catalana de Compositors and the Premi Generalitat de Catalunya. On the concert platform Miquel Villalba has appeared as a soloist and with chamber ensembles in many countries (Spain, France, Belgium, Germany, Brazil, the Philippines, Venezuela) receiving critical acclaim wherever he goes: “an intelligent and attentive performer, blessed with a precise and flexible technique, aligned with a most attractive sound” (La Semaine d’Anvers, Belgium); “a prodigious technique and a perfect performance” (El Correo de Andalucía); “a pianist with remarkable talents: technical mastery, a self-reliant assuredness and a true and exact interpretation…in short, a musician of great personality, a maestro...” (ABC, Spain). Villalba has an admirable breadth of repertoire, ranging from the Baroque to music of the present day. His acknowledged support for contemporary music has resulted in his being the dedicatee for many compositions. A rich discography extends from the works of Franz Liszt to Hindemith and includes the multi-disc survey of the complete piano works of Manuel Blancafort for the Naxos label, which has been applauded by specialist critics throughout Europe.

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Role: Classical Artist
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