Oliver Curbelo
is an active pianist, professor and researcher.
His output as a researcher encompasses different fields, being specialized in the history of the use and teaching of the damper pedal. The result of their research activity include the uncovering of an educational work by Enric Granados in 2011 and an autographed manuscript of five military marches for piano by the same composer in 2015. He was graduated with distinction, cum laude, in 2013 after having successfully defended his thesis entitled “Estudio de la enseñanza del pedal de resonancia del piano a través del análisis de las obras pedagógicas: diseño de una propuesta metodológica para su enseñanza”. He has also written several books and research papers related to piano performance and pedagogy.
Borned in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, in 1980, he began his piano studies at age 7 and got his music degrees in Piano, Chamber Music and Accompaniment at the Conservatorio Superior de Música. In 2001 he went on to study with the hungarian professor Ferenc Rados at Alcalá de Henares University (Madrid). After that he specialized in the spanish music performance for piano and piano duo as student of Alicia de Larrocha and Carlota Garriga at the prestigious Marshall Academy (Barcelona), where he received the Specialization Diploma (2005) and Master (2007) in spanish music for piano.
He has also got masterclasses given by Karin Merle, A. Jasinski, Alexis Golovine, Barry Douglas, E. Moguilevsky, Alan Weiss, Solomon Mikowsky, Ramón Coll, Jan Wijn, Paul Badura-Skoda, Charles Rosen, Carmen Bravo (Mompou’s widow), Neal P. Da Costa, Jesús A. Rodríguez, Almudena Cano, among others.
In 1991 he formed a piano duo with his twin brother José María (Dúo Curbelo) and since then they have performed more tan 150 recitals in Spain, Italy, Netherlands, United States, Argentina and Chile. Besides they have been principal news on the front pages of the widespread newspapers in the Canary Islands and on the nationwide news programmes. In their successful concert career they have been invited invited to perform in some international piano festivals such as Word Piano Festival 2014 (Festival Justus Frantz & Friends), “Semanas Musicales” in Frutillar (Chile), “48th Septiembre Musical Tucumano” (Argentina), “Pianistas Notables 2008” (Buenos Aires), Baarnse Musiekkring (Netherlands), “Festival En Paralelo” (Canary Islands), Summer Festivals in Pals and Lloret de Mar (Girona), “Música de Cámara de una Nueva Europa” (the Fundation Carlos de Amberes Auditorium, Madrid), and the first performance of “Canciones Canarias” for two pianos and choir by the argentinian composer Ostaschinsky (Alfredo Kraus Auditorium and Paraninfo de la Universidad de La Laguna), among others. In 2006 they placed first in the CajaCanarias Chamber Music Competition and in 2001 the got second prize in Premi de Música “Ciutat de Manresa”. They have released two piano duo CDs for Klassicat and SEdeM and recorded the work “Ensayo a Dos” for two pianos by Garriga for Columna Música. Their performances have been broadcast on Spanish and Argentinian radio and T.V. What’s more some TV chat shows have chosen their performances for several advertising campaign.
As soloist he performs traditional repertoire for piano and is committed to contemporary composers, premiering works by Juan Manuel Marrero, Juan Manuel Ruiz, Carlos Cruz de Castro, Daniel Roca, Lothar Siemens, Cecilia Diaz Pestano, Gonzalo Díaz Yerro or Guillermo Lorenzo, among others. His performances as solo piano led him to different halls in Spain, Finland and Argentina.
He has performed several times as soloist with Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria and Gran Canaria Wind Orchestra, under the conductors Gunther Herbig, Karel Mark Chichon, Gerard Korsten, Rafael Sánchez Araña, David Fiuza, José Alberto Pina and Gloria Isabel Ramos, among others.
Besides, he has performed in several spanish cities with renowed international trumpeter.
In 2003 he began to taught at Conservatorio Superior de Música de Canarias after passing a selection process. He combines this activity with teaching at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, since 2015. He has also been invited to give piano masterclasses at Higher music institutions in Como and Trieste (Italy), Santa Fe (Argentina), Oulu (Finland), Salt Lake City (USA) and in different schools of music in Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote.
In 2005 he started his PhD and his research activity. He got his Proficiency in Academic Research and his doctorate after 6 years working on his thesis.
He has published an advanced damper pedal method for the piano and two monographies about Enrique Granado’s and Teobaldo Power’s contribution to piano performance and pedagogy. Besides, has written several research papers in reputed academic journals and has presented papers at international conferences in Europe, North America and South America.
He’s undergraduate dissertation advisor at University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria with an average of 10-12 students per year.
Also he is member of the International Academy of Performing Arts and Sciences and belongs to the jury board of Enkor International Music Competition.