JAVIER GONZALEZ
Cuban Concert Pianist

Born in Puerto Padre, Cuba, concert pianist Javier Gonzalez began his music studies on the piano at the age of 7 in Havana.

The concert pianist won Grand Prize and First Prize on five occasions in the Amadeo Roldán National Piano Competition and special mention for Best Interpretation of Latin American and Cuban music, and he won second prize in the Ernesto Lecuona International Piano Competition.

Javier Gonzalez was awarded First Prize in the 1999 UNEAC Interpretation Competition, and the third prize in the Ignacio Cervantes International Piano Competition, November, 2000, in Havana.

He has performed piano concerts internationally in Barbados, Colombia, Italy, Jamaica, Mexico, Venezuela, Switzerland, Spain and Hawaii

Javier Gonzalez arrived in the US on July 15, 2002, and lives in Atherton, California, where he was enrolled in the Master’s Program at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and studied piano with Professor Mack McCray.

The Cuban pianist recorded his first CD, which includes various Classical, Cuban and Latin-American piano compositions in Jan. 2003.

Javier won first place in the San Francisco Conservatory in March 2003 for the concerto competition, which will give him the opportunity to play the piano with the Conservatory Symphony Orchestra in September 28, 2003.

Javier was invited to perform for the Mozart Society of California in Carmel, CA on May 23, 2003.

On October 12, 2003, Javier Gonzalez performed Liszt’s Piano Concerto #2 with the Santa Monica Symphonic Orchestra with Allen Gross, conductor, for the opening night concert.

Javier was accepted into the Music@Menlo Summer Program for Chamber Music for August 2003, where he studied with David Finkle and Wu Han of the Emerson String Quartet.

In New York he has played for Alicia de Larrocha, who has spoken very favorably of his compact disc.

He participated in the Summer Program at Mannes College in July 2004.

He was chosen to receive a piano course on Albeniz’s Iberia Suite by the pianist Alicia de Larrocha from Sept 27 to Oct. 3, 2004 in Barcelona.

2004 was to become a very important year for Javier in terms of international exposure, since he gave concerts in Canada, Switzeland, Spain and Austria with great success.

He currently receives regular coaching from Maestro Earl Wild.

Javier has been invited to perform with the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra in Caracas, Venezuela, in June 2005.