Course and Concert Series focused on the History and Interpretation of the

The Barcelona Festival of Song has a complete section dedicated to guitar & piano

In accordance with our mission to promote and study the Ibero American repertoire, pianist and guitarist will have the opportunity to study the piano and guitar tradition of Spain and Latin America. They will have master classes with some of the finest performers of the Ibero American repertoire.

Pianist and Guitarist will also have the opportunity to work with singers and to learn the sutil and complex art of accompaniment. In addition to work with important teachers and have the opportunity to work with singers, guitarist will have the opportunity to perform at one public concert in Barcelona.

Pau Casan, piano (Spain): Native resident of Barcelona and accompanist of supreme sensitivity, Pau Casan, studied with Carme Agustí, with María Drets of the Marshall Academy, and with Miquel Farré en the Canservatori Superior Municipal de Música, where he graduated with honors. Casan did his graduate studies in piano with Gordon Fergus-Thompson and in accompanying techniques with Roger Vignoles in the Royal College of Music in London. Acompañante de gran sensibilidad, Casan obtuvo el postgrado avanzado de piano con Gordon Fergus-Thompson, thanks to a grant from the Pedro Pons foundation. Casan has performed as an accompanist in Spain, Portugal, France, Denmark, and Colombia, and as a piano soloist in Spain, England, and Colombia. Since 2000, he has worked with Patricia Caicedo and recorded a CD dedicated to the Latin American lied.

Max Lifchitz, piano (México-USA): Max Lifchitz was awarded first prize in the 1976 International Gaudeamus Competition for Performers of Twentieth Century Music held in Holland . Robert Commanday, writing for The San Francisco Chronicle described him as "a young composer of brilliant imagination and a stunning, ultra-sensitive pianist." The New York Times music critic Allan Kozinn praised Mr. Lifchitz for his "clean, measured and sensitive performances” while Anthony Tommasini remarked that he “conducted a strong performance.” Payton MacDonald writing for the American Record Guide remarked, “Mr. Lifchitz is as good on the podium as he is behind the piano.”

Donal Henahan, also writing for the New York Times, stated "Mr. Lifchitz, who is the enterprising director of North/South Consonance, is also an ambidextrous conductor of complex music. His own piece required him to beat intricate polyrhythms -- not only fairly simple patterns like 4 with one hand against 3 with the other, but also such metrical puzzles as 3 against 11 or 5 against 13."

A graduate of The Juilliard School and Harvard University, Mr. Lifchitz has appeared in concert and recital throughout the US, Latin America and Europe. His CD album devoted to the piano music of Mexico elicited the following comment from Fanfare Magazine: "After several listenings, North/South Recordings No. 1010 is recommended to more than just a specialist audience because of the wide variety of attractive and challenging music that it contains. Lifchitz is a poetic pianist with requisite power to make the many granitic climaxes register. Easily, the most interesting new piano disc so far in 1996."

The American Record Guide commented as follows on Mr. Lifchitz’s album The American Collection (N/SR 1014): “suffice it to say that it would be hard to find a better snapshot of what American composers have been writing for the piano in the past decade than this collection. Lifchitz plays everything with sensitivity and force, where appropriate; and recorded sound is vivid and natural.” His CD album Diversions (North/South Recordings No. 1026) elicited the following comments from the London-based Gramophone Magazine: "Lifchitz has devised a charming programme of previously unrecorded pieces… His affectionate playing provides surprising emotional weight… Beautifully recorded album… Recommended.” Writer Jack Sullivan, reviewing his most recent solo releases for the American Record Guide stated: “Max Lifchitz, for whom much of the music featured in Final Bell (N/S R 1044) was written, plays with his usual brave authority, and North/South’s sound has a large, much-needed dynamic range.” And concerning American Women Composers (N/S R 1043) Mr. Sullivan wrote: “better to celebrate this engaging collection of new music played with color and commitment by one of America ’s finest exponents of contemporary piano music.”

Douglas Bringas, piano (México): Mexican pianist Douglas Bringas graduated with honors from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). He took graduate courses at the Universidad Ramón Llull and Escola Luthier in Barcelona. Among his teachers are Nestor Castañeda, István Nádas and Ludovica Mosca. He has performed in Europe and Latin America as a soloist and accompanist with several singers and chamber ensembles. Bringas is a professor of piano at the UNAM and at the University of Chiapas. Currently, he is finishing his doctorate in Musicology at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid.

Alex Garrobé, Classical Guitar (Spain): Born in Barcelona his teachers were José Tomás, David Russell, William Watters and Josep Pons. He holds the higher Teacher's Degree from the Oscar Esplà Conservatory in Alicante, where he won the Honors Price. In 1990 he was awarded the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Scholarship to broaden studies at the Musikhochschule in Cologne.

Since winning First Price at the 1990 Infanta Cristina Guitar Competition and the 1988 Musical Youths of Spain Competition, the concert career of Àlex Garrobé has quickly developed in Europe, the Middle East, United States and South America, performing in some of the most prestigious international halls, including the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Radio France Auditorium in Paris, Auditorio Nacional (Madrid), Lutowslasky Auditorium (Warsaw) XXI Century Auditorium (Beijing) . He is also prize winner at the Andrés Segovia Competitions of Almuñecar (1989) and Palma de Mallorca(1987).

Among his many collaborations as a soloist with orchestra are the performance of concierto de Aranjuez at the Auditorio Nacional (Madrid) in the concert given to Joaquin Rodrigo, and the world premier of the Concert Mare Nostrum of Salvador Brotons performed in the Lublin Guitar Festival (1999, Poland) and conducted by the composer. Many composers have dedicated pieces to him (S.Brotons,M.Smaili, S.Iannarelli, G.Drozd, S.Eide…). He has four Cds with the labels Harmonia Mundi, Opera Tres and Columna Musica.After listening his Cd dedicated to British composers the opinion of Sir Malcolm Arnold was: "A masterly interpretation, it is gratifying to hear one's music played so superbly". Currently he is professor at the Catalan Music College(ESMUC). He is also regularly invited to give master classes in several music institutions and universities: Stockolm, Warsaw, Oslo, Amsterdam, London(Guildhall School), Helsinki(Sibelius Academy ) Peking or Tokyo www.alexgarrobe.com

A. Two or Three Spanish works by any of the following composers: Enric Granados, Isaac Albéniz, Manuel De Falla, Joaquin Turina, Joaquín Rodrigo, Frederic Mompou, or any other Spanish composer.

B. Two or Three works by Latin American composers like: Heitor Villa-Lobos, Alberto Ginastera, Carlos Guastavino, Luis A. Calvo, Juan Bautista Plaza or any other Latin American Composer.

Pianist should bring six to eight songs for voice and piano from the Latin American or Spanish Repertoire. As soon as the pianist register we will tell him or her which songs to prepare.

A. Two or Three Spanish works by any of the following composers: Enric Granados, Isaac Albéniz, Manuel De Falla, Joaquin Turina, Joaquín Rodrigo, Fernando Sor, Moreno Torroba, Francisco Tarrega, Manuel Valls, Emilio Pujol, Miquel Llobet or any other Spanish composer.

B. Two or Three works by Latin American composers like: Agustín Barrios, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Leo Brower, Alberto Ginastera, Carlos Guastavino, Antonio Lauro, Gentil Montaña, Jorge Morel, Manuel Ponce or any other Latin American Composer.

Guitarist should bring prepare six to eight songs for voice and guitar from the Latin American or Spanish Repertoire. As soon as guitarist register they will receive the songs that they have to prepare.