Alfonso Montecino

Single bounced flash, and handheld. Taken in Dr. Montecino's studio at his home.ALFONSO MENTECINO CELEBRATES 80TH BIRTHDAY.Chilean composer and pianist Alfonso Montecino celebrated his 80th birthday on October 28, 2004.Montecino's sucessful international career spans over fifty years. It includes orchestra concerts and recitals, jury participations, pedagogical activities, and numerous awards. Some of the highlights of his career include: studies with compatriot Claudio Arrau as well as classes with Randall Thompson (Princeton University), Bohuslav Martinu (Mannes College of Music), Roger Sessions (Juilliard College of Music), and Edgar Varèse (Columbia University); recitals at Cargnegie Hall; thirty three peformances of J. S. Bach's complete Well-Tempered Clavier as well as the performance of the complete cycle of the Beethoven's thirty-two sonatas on ten different ocassions; appointment to the piano faculty at Indiana University School of Music (Bloomington) where he eventually became Professor Emeritus; and honorary memberships of the Instituto de Chile and the University of Chile. Since concertizing and teaching prevented him from devoting himself to composing, after his early retirement Montecino re-initiated his composing activity with intense dedication. Montecino believes that his familiarity with compositional techniques, musical analysis, and creative activity has influenced him as a performer, piano teacher and composer. He is the author of more than fifty works that include two string quartets, numerous compositions for chamber music ensembles, choral works, solo piano pieces, voice and piano songs, a saxophone quartet, a cantata for soprano and eight instruments, and a trio for piano, violin and cello. His compositions have been performed at numerous festivals of contemporary music in Spain, Argentina, Venezuela, United States, and Chile.