FELIPE
RAMIREZ
Concert Pianist and Composer
Felipe Ramírez was born in
Madrid
,
Spain
. He started his
musical studies at the age of 7 with María
Luisa Aguayo, and gave his first recital in
La Salle Hall
,
Madrid
, at the age of 8. He
then entered in the Royal Conservatory
of Music in Madrid, where he obtained the highest grades in Piano, under
the direction of Professor Angeles
Rentería.
The
Spanish Concert Pianist Joaquín Achúcarro
chose him to study in the program " Artist
Certificate " in the
United States
in 1990. He was
awarded the "Joel Tates Endowed Chair Scholarship" at the
School
of
Music
of the Southern
Methodist University (SMU) of
Dallas
, which ended with an
Honorable Mention.
Admitted
to the College of Music at the University of North Texas (UNT), Denton,
Texas in September 1993, Felipe continued his studies under Russian Concert
Pianist and Professor Vladimir Viardo
in the scholarship program " Musicians
of the World", he was named in the Dean´s List of UNT and is a
member of the "Golden Key
National Honor Society ", in recognition of his outstanding
scholastic achievement and excellence in UNT.
In
1998 he was awarded with the
Meadows
School
of the Arts Artistic
Scholarship, to complete his Masters in Piano and Composition in SMU,
Dallas
that he finished
with an Honorable Mention under the tutelage of the well-known Professors Alfred
Mouledous and Simon Sárgon.
He represented
Spain
in different
international festivals of music in SMU, and participated in the
International Festival of Piano of Houston in 1993 and 1995. He was invited
by the President of the American Institute of Discussion of
Oklahoma
to give the closing
concert of "Styles of Spanish
Civilization" which was dedicated to literature, painting, and
Spanish music.
He has won several prizes in National and International Competitions,
and has been invited as a jury member of the VIII National Piano Competition
"Ciudad de Melilla",
Spain
, and the 1998 Music
Competitions for Young Artists Foundation in
Manila
,
Philippines
.
Felipe
has performed throughout the
United States
,
Spain
,
France
,
Italy
,
Philippines
,
Indonesia
, and
Central America
.
Highlights of his extensive career include a performance at the
invitation of the Spanish Embassy for members of the U.S. Government,
including former Secretary of Defense, Secretary of State and Mr. & Mrs.
Al Gore. He has also given a televised concert from Rizal-Park,
Manila
on the 50th
anniversary of United Nations Day as well as a Christmas Concert at the
Vatican
in December 1999 and
a fundraising concert for the earthquake victims in
El Salvador
in 2001.
Felipe’s teaching experience includes tutoring at the
University
of
North Texas
in
Denton
and at Southern
Methodist University in
Dallas
. He also has given
Masterclasses at the
University
of
Wyoming
, in the
Philippines
at
Miriam
College
, St. Scholastica’s
Music
School
, and Piano Teachers
Guild of the
Philippines
, and in
Spain
at the Royal
Conservatory of Music in
Madrid
.
His
solo disc, "Live from
Texas
", includes his composition "Recuerdos de
Ubay" which was commissioned for the Philippine Centennial in 1998.
For his achievement, he was awarded the honor of being named
"Outstanding Young Artist 1998" in the
Philippines
.
In
1999 he was the first Spaniard to be invited to participate in the
International Hispanic Festival held in
Dallas
,
Texas
with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. His performance of
the Concerto No. 1 in Eb by Franz Liszt earned him a standing ovation.
In
2001, he was invited to serve as Artistic Adviser to the Young Artist
Foundation in
Madrid
,
Spain
.
Felipe
is currently working on the soundtrack for the short animation film
“Pawn” by Imagine Asia Co. to be released in 2003-04. He was invited by
the Philippine Government to perform in the first celebration of the
Phil-Spanish Friendship Date in 2003. He
most recently recorded the complete “Goyescas” by Enrique Granados, and
Ballade of Cid Campeador world premiered by the Meadows Symphony.
In
2003 he was awarded the Musician of the Year Award given by the Asian
American Chamber of Commerce.
Felipe
is also an accomplished photographer, painter, and he has been awarded as
Distinguished Member of the International Society of Poets, as well as
member of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers. His
poetry has been published in America at the Millenium, and his
prizewinning photographs in the anthology, Innocent Dreams.
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