loading site...
            |<< >>| Pause
Jose Ramon Mendez
March 29, 2018New WebsiteWelcome!


Described as "an artist with a polished sound and tremendous constructive power" and hailed by the Hoja del Lunes de Madrid, as "the Spanish pianist of his generation," Jose Ramon Mendez is one of the most exciting Spanish pianists of today.

Recent performances include Chopin's first piano concerto with the Cuban National Symphony Orchestra and Manuel de Falla's "Nights in the Gardens of Spain" with the Nittany Valley Symphony, as well as numerous solo and chamber music performances in the United States, Europe, and Asia. His playing has been featured on WQXR's "Performance Today" and on Classical KMFA. He has been a guest performer at many music festivals, including Caramoor Festival, Barge Music Series, Festival Internacional de Piano de las Islas Canarias, Music at Penns Woods, Amalfi Coast International Music Festival, "Tocando el Cielo," Musica en Compostela, the Stony Brook International Piano Festival, and the Santander International Music Festival to name a few. As a chamber musician, Mendez has collaborated with such distinguished artists as Karl Leister, Itzhak Perlman, Michael Tree, Pascual Martinez-Nieto, and Pinchas Zukerman.

Mendez received his first music instruction from his father and by the age of seven was already performing on Spanish television and radio stations. He made his solo debut at the age of eleven at the Oviedo Philharmonic Society in Oviedo, Spain, the youngest performer ever to do so in the history of the society. He first gained international recognition when he performed Liszt's first piano concerto under the direction of Sergiu Commissiona at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. Since then, he has concertized extensively in his native Spain, the United States, Italy, England, Portugal, Holland, and Japan to great acclaim. With his poetry, intellect, and masterful technique, he has been praised by critics and celebrated by audiences around the world.

At the age of 18, Mendez's success brought him to the United States, where he began his studies at Manhattan School of Music in New York City. He completed his Bachelors and Masters Degrees in piano performance with renowned pedagogue Solomon Mikowsky and went on to finish his Doctorate of Musical Arts under the tutelage of Byron Janis and Miyoko Lotto. During his stay in New York, he won top prizes in many international competitions, including Pilar Bayona International Piano Competition, Hilton Head Island International Piano Competition, Frederick Chopin Competition in New York, and Hermanos Guerrero International Piano Competition, among others.

Mendez's professional teaching career began in 1996, when he was invited to teach master classes at the Gijon School of Music. Since then, he has given master classes in numerous cities in Spain, including Lugo, Aviles, Valencia, Gijon, Oviedo, Santiago de Compostela, and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, as well as in the United States at top music schools such as Oberlin Conservatory, Northwestern University, University of Michigan, and Columbus State University. Mendez also taught as assistant teacher to Miyoko Lotto at the Perlman Music Program, a program for gifted young musicians founded by the world famous violinist Itzhak Perlman. Currently in the summers, he is the Artistic Director and on the faculty of the Gijon International Piano Festival in Gijon, Spain, as well as frequently being invited to perform and teach at various festivals.

Formerly on the faculty at The University of Texas at Austin, he formed part of the Artist Piano Faculty at New York University in New York City from 2007 to 2014. He is now teaching as an Assistant Professor of Piano at Pennsylvania State University.

Jose Ramon Mendez is a Yamaha Artist.




Coming soon...

Past Performances

March 28, 2017
6@6
Yamaha Artist Services Piano Salon
New York, New York
October 27, 2016
Solo Recital at Marian Garcia Piano Festival and Competition
Esber Recital Hall at Penn State University
University Park, PA 16802
August 3, 2016
Porto Piano Festival
TBD
Porto, Portugal
July 14, 2016
Solo Recital at the Shanghai Piano Festival
TBA
Shanghai, China
July 3, 2016
Nights in the Gardens of Spain
Forest Studio at the Pierre Monteux School and Summer Festival
Hanock, Maine
June 18, 2016
Music at Penns Woods: Festival Orchestra with Jose Ramon Mendez,
Esber Recital Hall
University Park, PA
June 15, 2016
Mozart/Schuloff/Caplet
Esber Recital Hall
State College, PA
April 25, 2015
Spanish impressions
Eisenhower Auditorium, Center for the Performing Arts at Penn St
University Park, PA 16802
November 23, 2014
Guest Recital
Oberlin Conservatory, Warner Concert Hall
Oberlin, OH 44074
November 22, 2014
Guest Master Class
Oberlin Conservatory, Warner Concert Hall
Oberlin, OH 44704
November 16, 2014
Spanish American Music Council presents Jose Ramon Mendez, piani
Tenri Cultural Institute
New York, New York
December 10, 2013
Solo Piano Recital, NYU Faculty Recital Series
Frederick Loewe Theatre
New York, New York 10012
October 23, 2013
Faculty Showcase Recital
Frederick Loewe Theatre, New York University
New York, New York
November 1, 2012
NYU Artist Faculty in Concert
Frederick Loewe Theatre
New York, New York
December 4, 2010
Solo Recital
Merkin Recital Hall
New York, NY
October 15, 2010
Faculty Showcase Recital
Frederick Loewe Theater at New York University (Steinhardt)
New York, NY
July 5, 2010
Solo Recital - Stony Brook International Piano Festival
Carson Auditorium - The Stony Brook School
Stony Brook, NY
January 10, 2010
Solo Recital
Episcopal Church of Christ the Redeemer
Pelham, NY
October 11, 2009
Solo Performance with Galician Chamber Orchestra
Merkin Recital Hall
New York, NY

Festivals

Gijón International Piano Festival | Official WebsiteSet on the spectacular coast of northern Spain, the Gijon International Piano Festival offers advanced pianists ages 16 and older an opportunity for two weeks of master classes, recitals, and individual instruction with internationally renowned piano professors...http://gijonpiano.com/
Stony Brook International Piano Festivalhttp://www.sbipf.org/

Projects

Spanish American Music CouncilFounded in 2009, The Spanish American Music Council is a non-profit organization with a mission to promote collaboration between Spanish and American musicians and to provide support for intercultural musical studies. Additional aims include offering increased opportunities for Spanish and American students who wish to further their musical studies and enabling foreign students to immerse themselves in Spanish or American musical culture. The Council supports existing excellent musical projects in Spain and in the United States and plans to found new musical projects, such as concerts, festivals, or competitions that will further its mission.http://www.spanishamericanmusiccouncil.org/

Site Credits

Lisa-Marie MazzuccoLong Island based classical music photographer Lisa-Marie Mazzucco. Lisa Marie Mazzucco, photographer and make up artist, Montauk, New York, NY.http://www.lisamazzucco.com/
Aestheticize MediaAestheticize Media is a web/graphic design and photography firm based in the Greater Toronto Area.http://www.aestheticize.com/

Other Links

Amy E. Gustafson - PianistAmerican pianist Amy Elizabeth Gustafson has performed across the United States and in both Western and Eastern Europe. Born in into a musical family, her talent was evident at an early age, and she received some of her beginning piano instruction from her grandmother. ...http://www.amygustafson.com/
For booking and all other inquires, contact Jose Ramon Mendez at:
jose@joseramonmendez.com

music photos video
Rogelio Groba
Malleus Animatus
for Piano & String Orchestra
Orquesta Galega de Camara
Rogelio Groba - Concertmaster/Conductor
LISTEN
Rogelio Groba
Concerto in Arcos
for Piano & String Orchestra
Orquesta Galega de Camara
Rogelio Groba - Concertmaster/Conductor
LISTEN
Franz Liszt
Les Jeux d’eau á la Villa d’Este
LISTEN
Karol Szymanowski
Etude Op. 4 No. 1
LISTEN
Karol Szymanowski
Etude Op. 4 No. 3
LISTEN
Karol Szymanowski
Variations on a Theme in b-flat minor, Op. 3
LISTEN
Alexander Scriabin
Mazurka Op. 10 No. 7
LISTEN
Alexander Scriabin
Mazurka Op. 10 No. 8
LISTEN
Alexander Scriabin
Etude Op. 42 No. 5
LISTEN
Sergei Rachmaninov
Sonata No. 2 in b-flat minor, Op. 36
I. Allegro agitato
LISTEN
Sergei Rachmaninov
Sonata No. 2 in b-flat minor, Op. 36
II. Non allegro & III. Allegro molto
LISTEN
music photos video




Coming soon...

music photos video




Coming soon...