SHSU Faculty Member Josu De Solaun Wins International Piano Competition

Josu De Solaun, a new assistant professor of piano in Sam Houston State University's School of Music, won the first prize in the piano section of the prestigious Enescu Competition that took place on Sept. 27 in Bucharest, Romania.

The George Enescu International Competition, a classical music contest has served as a springboard for musicians. Established in 1958 the competition honors composer, violinist, pianist, conductor and teacher, George Enescu who is regarded as one of the greatest composers of the 20th century and Romania's most important musician. "I've been an Enescu fan for a long time. And I've always wished to perform at the Romanian Athenaeum," said De Solaun.

240 young artists from 36 countries on 5 continents signed up to participate in the 2014 Enescu Competition. Three young pianists performed in the Piano Final in the Romanian Athenaeum Grand Hall, together with the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by renowned pianist and conductor Justus Frantz, a close collaborator of legendary Leonard Bernstein. For the final De Solaun and two other finalist each interpreted Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Minor, Op. 23 by Tchaikovsky and Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 30 by Rachmaninoff to an overwhelmingly full house. The public also watched the Final live on a large screen outside the Romanian Athenaeum and across the globe, audiences tuned-in online through a live stream.

De Solaun, an Artist/Teacher of Piano at Sam Houston State University School of Music, has performed as a soloist with prestigious international orchestras such as Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, Mexico City Philharmonic Orchestra, New York Sinfonietta, and Leos Janacek Symphony Orchestra. A graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, De Solaun studied for twelve years under pianists Nina Svetlanova and Horacio Gutierrez. As a collaborative artist, he was worked alongside Mark Nuccio, associate principal clarinetist of the New York Philarmonic, Amaury Coeytaux, concert master of the Orchestre Philarmonique de Radio France, pianists Andre-Michel Schub, Lydia Artimiw, and Anna Petrova, and legendary soprano Catherine Malfitano, among many others. He now divides his time between New York and Huntsville, Texas, where he recently joined the faculty of Sam Houston State University.

On Saturday, Oct. 4 at 7:30 PM, De Solaun joins the SHSU Symphony Orchestra concert as the guest soloist playing the same piece (Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1) he played as finalist in the competition. The concert takes place in the Gaertner Performing Arts Center, Huntsville, TX. Admission is free.