Piano concert by María Paz Santibáñez

Biography

The pianist María Paz Santibáñez studied piano at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Chile with the pianist Galvarino Mendoza (1928-2009), her musical father. His training continues in the Czech Republic with the professor of the Prague Music Academy, Jaromír Křiž. In 1999, after obtaining his Higher Performance License with a mention in Piano at the University of Chile, he settled in Paris, France, to continue further studies. In this city he obtained the Diplôme d'Exécution at the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris Alfred Cortot in 2001, under the direction of Odile Delangle.

Between 2002 and 2004 he worked with the pianist Claude Helffer (1922-2004) in the collective courses “Les Classiques du XXème” and in private courses. This meeting with Claude Helffer, a pianist immersed in the music of his contemporaries whom he served with great generosity, deeply marked his musical career.

Since 2000 he has offered recitals and concerts, together with large orchestras and as a soloist, in prestigious halls and cultural centers around the world: in Lima, at the Teatro Solís, with the Montevideo Philharmonic Orchestra, Buenos Aires, Mexico, Havana, Helsinki, Amsterdam; Oslo, Stockholm, Bern, New York, in the Tallinn theater (Estonia), Manchester, London, Berlin, Athens, at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory and also in Chile, passionately touring his native country. Her marked interest in recent creation leads her to premiere works by contemporary composers in each country she visits. A broadcaster and teacher at heart, María Paz regularly offers masterclasses as part of her solo concerts.

His album Maurice Ohana's Interpretation Studies (Recompensa « Clef Resmusica » and « 4 diapasons ») and his album Piano-Piano (2003) show his involvement with contemporary music. In 2013 he released his third CD La Caja Mágica, an ode to memory, the future and the composers of the Southern Cone of Latin America from the 1920s to the present day.

In 2013 she was also honored by the Association of Cultural Producers and Agents of the State of Sao Paulo (APACESP) with the "Víctor Jara" award. In 2014, the president of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, appointed her cultural attaché of Chile in France.

Photo credit Alexandra Popescu