Arts Global

Sylvia Torán was born in Madrid and studied at the Real Conservatorio Superior de Música of Madrid with Joaquín Soriano, graduating with the End of Year Outstanding Prize.

In 1982 she was awarded a grant by the Spanish & North American Joint Committee to study at the Juilliard School of Music in New York under the direction of Earl Wild. There she obtained her Master's Degree in music. She later extended her studies under Halina Czerny-Stefanska in Poland, and Almudena Cano in Madrid.

In 1985, Ms Torán won the First Prize at the International Masterplayers Competition in Lugano (Switzerland) and that same year she made her debut at Carnegie Recital Hall in New York, obtaining great reviews in the New York Times.

She has performed with orchestras (Grant Park Orchestra, Chicago Sinfonietta, Lithuanian Orchestra, Orquesta Nacional de España, Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid, Moscow Virtuosi, Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia, Orquesta Sinfónica del Principado de Asturias,Orquesta de Valencia, Concertante de Chicago, Pablo Sarasate Synphonic Orchestra, O.S.A., Massachussets Orchestra etc.), and conductors such as Saulius Sondeckis, Paul Freeman, Juan de Udaeta, Garcia Navarro, Cristóbal Halffter, Josep Pons, Juan J. Mena, Pedro Halffter Caro, Vicente Egea, Joan Iborra etc., and has played chamber concerts throughout the world, returning to the United States many times. Sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affaires she has toured South America, U.S.A., Croatia, Australia and New Zealand, always being highly praised by the critics.

Ms Torán has recorded for WFMT Radio (Chicago), KUSC (L.A.), Radio Nacional, TVE-1and TVE-2 (Spain), Polish TV, etc. She also has recorded an album entirely dedicated to Chopin for the English label ASV.

With critical acclaim, Ms Torán has performed in such prestigious series and venues as Ibermúsica, Mozart Festival, Palau de la Música (Barcelona), Wigmore Hall (London), Salle Gaveau (Paris), Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center (New York) etc. In 1992 she had a resounding success with Montsalvatge's Piano Concerto at Chicago's Orchestra Hall.

Her new CD of Spanish music will be released next year.

Sylvia Torán usually plays duo-concertos with the pianist Ignacio Marín Bocanegra. They enjoyed a major success in the non-for-profit concert they performed this past May for Vicente Ferrer's Foundation in India, in the presence of D. Felipe de Borbón, the Prince of Asturias.

Recently she has been playing recitals in Rome, Vermont, Washington and New York. Ms Torán opened the new El Escorial Summer Festival in Madrid playing Mozart piano concerti. Forthcoming appearances include solo recitals and chamber music concerts in France, Italy, Switzerland, the USA and Portugal, and several recitals throughout Spain.

Her new recording will include Mozart Sonatas and the Schumann Fantasy in C Major.