Martha Marchena

Martha Marchena has been acclaimed as one of the most innovative and powerful pianists of today. A rising star of her generation, Marchena gained recognition early in her career for her command of the instrument and artistic insight. Before immigrating to the United States in 1979, Marchena was one of Cuba’s most promising pianists, with appearances scheduled in Moscow and Berlin. She graduated with honors from the University of Miami’s doctoral program, where she wrote her dissertation on the piano works of Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos.

A versatile artist, she has performed as a soloist with orchestras and chamber music ensembles all over Europe and North and South America. Noted for the originality of her programming, critics have praised the intensity of her interpretations as well as the emotional impact she brings to the audience. David M. Greene, historian and critic, has hailed her playing as “exquisite and breathtaking,” remarking on her impressive capability to understand the pieces and bring to life their great emotional range.

Marchena continues to concertize extensively. She has gained recognition for her ambitious and refreshing repertoire in contemporary music as well as for her expertise in Latin American music. She brings to the forefront many of the lost and under represented composers of her heritage. Marchena has been invited to perform in major international music festivals including the Encuentros Festival in Buenos Aires, the International Contemporary Music Festival in San Salvador, Latin American Music Festival in Caracas, and Opera Barga Festival in Italy. Her recent repertoire uniquely incorporates the music of many contemporary Latin and South American female composers. In addition, Marchena has kept a rigorous academic profile as Professor and Coordinator of keyboard studies in the Music Department of Kean University, Union, NJ. She has participated in many residencies, giving master classes, lecturing and performing recitals internationally, bridging Latin and South American music and women studies.

In may 2002 she was invited by the (SGAE) General Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers of Spain to offer a recital of contemporary Spanish and Latin-American composers at the prestigious Artistic Culture Society of São Paulo (Brazil), as a prelude to the presentation of the international jury of the IV “ Tomás Luis de Victoria” prize of the SAGE, created to celebrate the creative trajectory of the classical contemporary composers of Spain, Portugal and Latin-America. This competition is sponsored by the King of Spain.

In 2001, she was the recipient of the Hispanic Caucus Latino Cultural Arts Award from the American Association for Higher Education. She was recently awarded her second grant from The Fund for U.S. Artists at International Festivals and Exhibitions by the Rockefeller Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Marchena’s CD recording debut, “Sonoric Rituals, Twentieth-Century Latin American Piano Music,” has been highly acclaimed worldwide, received a special honor in the Vienna Modern Masters Recording Competition in Austria, and was recommended for a Grammy Award in 1997. Marchena followed up with a recording of traditional South American piano music entitled "Cancion sin Palabras" (Song Without Words), and, most recently, with "The Complete Piano Works of Aurelio de la Vega", both released by the Musicians Showcase label. www.marthamarchena.com