CRISTINA ORTIZ

MEXICO

Although Cristina Ortiz has resided in Europe for many years, it is the passion, spontaneity and charm so characteristic of her Brazilian cultural heritage that is central to her musical creation. Mastering a wide range of solo and concert repertoire, she now adds the increasingly important role of chamber musician to her makeup as a truly well-rounded artist.

He has performed with Antonio Meneses, Boris Belkin, Kurt Nikkanen, Uto Ughi, Dimitri Ashkenazy and the Prague Wind Quintet; and in addition to collaborating with string quartets such as the Chilingirian, the Grainger or the Endellion, Cristina has just recorded the Fauré and Franck piano quintets with the Fine Arts Quartet for Naxos.

There is no doubt about his dedication to the dissemination of Brazilian music, well evidenced in the American premiere of Camargo Guarnieri's "Chôro" at Carnegie Hall under the direction of Dennis Russell-Davies, or the Decca recording of the five Concertos for piano by Villa-Lobos, a recording that definitively confirmed her as the main performer of her music.

Cristina Ortiz's repertoire boasts a wealth of major piano literature, from Beethoven to Bernstein and beyond, whose interpretations have received critical acclaim and have drawn her audience's attention to a number of lesser-known works, such as on his CDs of pieces by Clara Schumann for Carlton Classics or the Second Stenhammar Piano Concerto with the Gothenburg Orchestra with Neeme Järvi for BIS; as well as the world premiere of Lalo Schifrin's "Concert of the Americas" in Washington DC and Kyoto; as well as performances of the Erwin Schulhoff Piano Concerto with the Czech Philharmonic or the Hong Kong Sinfonietta.

Cristina Ortíz believes that teaching is an invaluable source for self-analysis. Using his experience, he inspires young pianists to develop a feeling for colors and broaden their range of emotions. Giving private lessons or conducting master classes while touring worldwide concerts whenever possible, he devotes special attention to pedaling: that all-important, but almost unexplored art. From the days when her mentor Rudolf Serkin invited her to participate in his famous “Marlboro Music” concert season or when she appeared at the “Two Worlds Festival” in Spoletto, Italy, Cristina knows that an artist can grow by sharing music with friends

He has recently organized chamber music concerts, as well as several workshops for young pianists, with the intention of bringing music to his local friends in the south of France. In 2006, his first "C * O * & Friends Festival", included music for winds and piano, while, in 2008, his second edition, for strings and piano. To the delight of their audience, an informal jazz session brought both programs to an end, on a lighter note.

Ortiz has worked with conductors such as André Previn, Kyril Kondrashin, Zubin Mehta, Neeme Järvi, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Maris Jansons, David Zinman and Dennis Russell-Davies among many others and has performed with orchestras such as the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonic, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Chicago Symphony, Czech Philharmonic, Royal London Philharmonic and London Philharmonic, to name just a few. On the other hand, he especially likes to conduct from the keyboard, either in concert with the Prague Chamber Orchestra (at the Rudolfinum or at the Musikverein in Vienna), with the Swedish Chamber Orchestra in Ørebro, Sweden; or in the recording studios with the Consort of London, for the Collins Classics.

Recently, for the first time in Brazil, he so delighted São Paulo audiences with his relaxed yet visceral approach to music, conducting and performing Beethoven's Concerto #3 from the keyboard. In his opinion, this format of musical creation is the most complete and satisfying for a soloist, due to the total commitment of all the musicians on stage.

Cristina Ortiz, as a true Ambassador, has begun to perform classical music in the different Brazilian Embassies around the world, closely relating to the exclusive public by informally announcing what she chooses to play: whether it is Chopin or Lorenzo Fernández, Schubert or Fructuoso Vianna, Brahms or Nepomuceno, Debussy or Villa-Lobos: composers deeply appreciated by her.