Biography
Mauricio Arias-Esguerra - Pianist | Juan Carlos Higuita - Violinist | Ivan León - Cellist.
All three are prominent musicians on the Colombian scene.
All three are prominent musicians on the Colombian scene.
Trio
Bogotá Piano trío
All three are prominent musicians on the Colombian scene.
Bogotá Piano Trio is a Colombian ensamble comprising pianist Mauricio Arias-Esguerra,, violinist Juan Carlos Higuita and e cellist Ivan LeónAll three are prominent musicians on the Colombian scene. In addition to interpreting the classical repertoire for this ensamble, they have ventured into the Colombian repertoire. Since its foundation, the Bogotá Piano Trio has premiered several works. They have performed in different venues, such as Teatro Mayor Julio Mario Santo Domingo, National Theater of Peru, University of the Arts of Guayaquil (Ecuador), Teatro Colón de Bogotá, Fabio Lozano auditorium, Mario Laserna auditorium, National Museum of Colombia, International Music Festival of Cartagena, International Chamber Music Festival of Barranquilla, National Festival of Chamber Music of the University of Antioquia. In 2022 they made their first international tour in Peru and Ecuador.
The composer Alejandro del Valle Lattanzio dedicated his Trio to them. Soon they will publish the complete chamber music of Antonio María Valencia for the record label Egea Suramérica.
Ivan León
Graduated with undergraduate and master's degrees from the A. Boito conservatory in Parma with (Laurea Cum Laude). First prize winner of the Bonoris de Montichiari competition and third prize of the Nuovi Orizzonti competition in the chamber music category. He has given trio and quartet recitals in theaters such as the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, the National Theater in London; Verdi Theater in Trieste, Regio Theater in Parma, Colón Theater in Bogotá and Julio Mario Santo Domingo Theater among others. He has premiered works by Philip Glass and George Fenton, with whom he worked closely.
He was co-principal of the London SBS orchestra, he has collaborated with orchestras such as St Martin in the Fields, BBC Symphony, St Petersburg Philharmonic. He is currently a cellist of the Bogotá Piano Trio, of the string quartet of the National Symphony of Colombia and a professor at the Javeriana University.
Mauricio Arias-Esguerra
Pianist, composer, improviser, Mauricio Arias-Esguerra is a versatile Colombian musician. Composer of Rapsodia Camaleónica for trumpet, piano and orchestra. He has performed in various continents and important venues, including Carnegie Hall in New York and Festival di Spoleto (Italy), representing Colombia, along with Medellín Philharmonic Orchestra. As a pianist, one of his projects is the promotion of pieces by contemporary Colombian composers. On 2021, Toccata label published ¡Colombia Viva! (piano solo), which will be followed by the 2nd volume on August 2023. Award-winning pianist at Kingsville, Schmidbauer, Peabody Mason, USasu Bösendorfer, Panama City piano competitions. In Colombia, he was the winner of the 1st Fryderyk Chopin National Piano Competition and the UIS National Piano Competition. He studied piano with Ludmila Weber (Corpas University, BM), Baruch Meir and Robert Hamilton (Arizona State University, DMA). He has studied composition with Rodney Rogers and Jorge Pinzón, in addition to participating in various courses with composers James DeMars, Zygmunt Krauze, Zhou Long, Philippe Manoury, Martijn Padding, Paul Patterson, Alessandro Solbiati, Simon Steen-Andersen, Chen Yi. He has been commissioned by the National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia, University of Florida Symphonic Band, Bogotá Department of Education. He has collaborated with singer Valeriano Lanchas, trumpeter Pacho Flores, violinist Aisha Syed, among others. Mauricio is currently assistant professor at Universidad de los Andes in Colombia. Founding member of Bogotá Piano Trio. His albums also include La trompeta camaleónica (in collaboration with trumpeter Randy Lee).
Juan Carlos Higuita
“An exceptional performer” (Blas Emilio Atehortúa)
Juan Carlos Higuita is not just a Colombian violinist with a great career, nominated for a Latin Grammy. He also stands in a unique place in the musical world. He is a rare specialist: an instrumentalist who has bet everything on contemporary Latin American music.
Throughout his extraordinary career, he has played as a soloist in the most important orchestras in Colombia and as a concertmaster or guest musician in Florilegium Musicum Wien, Orpheon Consort Wien, Orpheus Ensemble München, Tonkünstler Ensemble, City of London Sinfonia, and others.
“One of the most outstanding violinists in Latin America today. He has great technical skill, but what stands out most about him is his charismatic musical personality” (Saúl Bitrán).
With academic excellence, he completed undergraduate studies in instrumental pedagogy at the Vienna University of Music, and undergraduate and master´s degrees in concert violin at the conservatory of the same city. He was a disciple of Roswita Randacher, Jussuf Karajev, and Timon Hornig. Under the mentorship of maestro Richard Young, he received a master´s degree in music with an emphasis on chamber music from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana. His participation in masterclasses with other great maestros such as Herman Krebbers, Gidon Kremer, and Zakhar Bron has allow him to interpret various genres.
His interest in chamber music has led him to participate in festivals such as the Donaueschinger Musik Tage in Germany, the International Guitar Festival in Nürnberg, the Die Lange Nacht der Musik in Vienna, the Early Music Festival in Gijon, the International Festival de Música de Cartagena, the Chicago Latino Music Festival, the Instrumental Oaxaca Festival, and others.
For 9 years, he was the first violin of Q-Arte, one of the main quartets in Latin America, with whom he was nominated for the Classical Next awards. He is currently a violin and chamber music professor at the National University of Colombia and the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana. He is also a member of the Bogotá Chamber Society, the Bogotá Piano Trio, and the CG ensemble.
“The new album by the Colombian violinist, entitled 8 Mundos, confirms him as one of the great interpreters of contemporary music in Colombia” (Irene Littfack).
Among his latest record productions are the album 8 Mundos, a showcase of the compositional trends of recent decades; Songs and Sonnets, with works by E. Toldrá, together with the pianist Mac McClure; and Soundscapes, with works for solo violin.