MAX BARROS

MAX BARROS, pianist, born in California grew up in Brazil where his frequent solo recitals and guest appearances with leading orchestras have often been presented on radio and television. Immediately following his solo piano recital under the aegis of the Nantucket Musical Arts Society on July 31st, he returns to Brazil on August 2nd for concerts with the Sao Paolo University Symphony Orchestra featuring the Piano Concerto No. 5 of famed Brazilian composer Camargo Guarneri. This well traveled musician then flies onto Warsaw, Poland to complete recording the final three of the entire cycle of the six piano concertos by Guarneri with the Warsaw Philharmonic conducted by American maestro Thomas Conlin. Then, in quick succession he will hop over to Haifa, Israel to rehearse with a leading woman conductor of that country, Ada Pelleg, before heading with her to Moscow where they will be recording the Schumann Piano Concerto with the Moscow Symphony Orchestra together later in September.

Most recent performances of note include a South American tour with the I Virtuosi di Prague appearing in Ecuador, Argentina and Brazil; as soloist with the Saint Lukes Orchestra and with the American String Quartet at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. In 1985, Brazils Sao Paulo Art Critics Association selected Max Barros as Soloist of The Year for his performance of Brahms Piano Concerto in D Minor. He has since been featured at many of Brazils major music festivals. Known as a champion of Brazilian music, he has premiered numerous works by the nations most important composers. Premiere performances in the USA include Ronaldo Mirandas Concertino for Piano and Strings. Recordings of Brazilian composers music include Amaral Vieiras Piano Quintet with the Ensemble Capriccio. He has recently released the first 3 of the Complete Concertos (6) for Piano and Orchestra by Brazilian composer Camargo Guarneri with conductor Thomas Conlin and the Warsaw Philharmonic for the Naxos label. It is projected that the final 3 of these Guarneri Concertos will be ready for release sometime in 2007. Other recordings are available on the Hungaroton, Musikus and Paulus labels.

Mr. Barros is well known for his stylistic and historically informed interpretations. His extensive research into the performance practice of early keyboard instruments has allowed him to bring fresh insights to his performances on the modern piano. On such early instruments he has recorded the complete trios by Boccherini and Stephen Storace, with violinist Stephanie Chase and cellist Christine Gummere.

Max Barros has studied with Seymour Bernstein, Richard Goode, Antonio Barbosa and Malcolm Bilson in the US and the complete works of Chopin with Barbara Hesse-Bukowska in Poland.