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Sergio Tiempo

About this Artist

Sergio Tiempo is regarded as one of the most individual and thought-provoking pianists of his generation. He made his professional debut at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw aged fourteen, and soon became internationally renowned for his raw energy and musical versatility, from Brahms to Villa-Lobos and Ginastera.

Born in Caracas, Venezuela, Sergio Tiempo began his piano studies with his mother, Lyl Tiempo. Whilst at the Fondazione per il Pianoforte in Como, Italy, he worked with Dimitri Bashkirov, Fou Tsong, Murray Perahia and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. He continues to receive frequent musical guidance and advice from Martha Argerich and Nelson Freire and performs regularly with fellow countryman and friend Gustavo Dudamel.

Orchestral collaborations include the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Brussels Philharmonic, Orquestra Nacional do Porto, Simón Bolívar Orchestra, Singapore Symphony, BBC Symphony, City of Birmingham Symphony, Royal Northern Sinfonia, St Petersburg Symphony, Auckland Philharmonia, Phoenix Symphony, Buenos Aires Philharmonic, Zurich Chamber and Stavanger Symphony Orchestras alongside eminent conductors such as Claudio Abbado, Myung Whun Chung, Thierry Fischer, Emmanuel Krivine, Ken-David Masur, Alondra de la Parra, Alexander Prior, Leonard Slatkin and Xian Zhang. He was Artist in Residence 2018 at the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.

A committed recitalist, engagements have included a sell-out recital debut at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London’s International Piano Series, the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Wigmore Hall, the Berlin Philharmonie and Edinburgh International Festival, the George Enescu Festival, and return visits to the Martha Argerich Festival in Lugano, Oslo Chamber Music Festival, Warsaw Chopin Festival, Brussels Chopin Days, Music Days in Lisbon, and recital tours in China, Korea, Italy, and South America.

Sergio Tiempo has made a number of highly distinctive and acclaimed recordings. On EMI Classics, he recorded Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition, Ravel Gaspard de la Nuit and three Chopin Nocturnes for 'Martha Argerich Presents', and on Deutsche Grammophon he has recorded several discs with Mischa Maisky, including a disc of Rachmaninov which was awarded five stars by Classic FM and the BBC Music Magazine. Sergio Tiempo and sister Karin Lechner recorded Tango Rhapsody, a new work for two pianos and orchestra by Argentinean composer Federico Jusid, commissioned for the duo and the RSI Lugano, also performed with the Queensland Symphony and Alondra de la Parra. Further recordings with Karin Lechner include a disc of French music released on Avanti Classics, a label with whom Sergio Tiempo recorded his latest disc, entitled Legacy, in January 2018. Future plans include duo recordings with Martha Argerich and Nelson Freire.

Recent highlights include reinvitations by the Los Angeles Philharmonic to perform Tchaikovsky’s Concerto No. 1 and Chopin’s Concerto No. 1, his debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and performances with Taiwan National Symphony (Ravel), Royal Philharmonic (Grieg), Frankfurter Museumsorchester (Rachmaninoff Paganini) and Wurth Philharmonic Orchestras (Rachmaninoff 3); recitals at the Martha Argerich Festival at Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie, Brussels Chopin Days, and a duo with Karin Lechner in Amsterdam.

In 2019/20 he returned to the Los Angeles Philharmonic to give the world premiere of Esteban Benzecry’s new piano concerto ‘Universos Infinitos’ with Gustavo Dudamel at Walt Disney Concert Hall. The work was also performed at the Lincoln Center in his debut with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. His performances were lauded for his energy and virtuosity, as “a scintillating and virtuosic performance” (New York Times), “Tiempo played it with absolute commitment and an extraordinary range of touch” (Bachtrack), and “A catapulting Tiempo almost never stops…Tiempo somehow made the impossible possible” (LA Times).

Future plans include his return to the Queensland Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Philadelphia Orchestra, Grieg’s Piano Concerto with the Orquesta Sinfónica de RTVE in Madrid and Federico Jusid, and further performances of the Benzecry concerto in Puerto Rico and Brazil. He also gives recitals in Sao Paolo and Moritzburg Festival in Dresden.