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Born in Buenos Aires
in 1964, Gerardo Vila started his musical studies at a young age and
was already noticed for his special talent and artistic qualities.
He studied piano with Maria Teresa Criscuolo and chamber music with
Ljerko Spiller. At the age of twelve he gave his first public recital and thus developed very early an intense musical activity on a national level, playing in such halls as the “Teatro Colón” and that of the “Teatro Opera”, where he gave a concert organized by the Argentinean Mozarteum. The critics noticed the young pianist and wrote about him in the newspaper "Clarín": "Gerardo Vila: a promise"... Between 1980 and 1984 he received six first prizes in piano competitions. In 1985, aged 20, having won the "Vicente Scaramuzza" prize, he travelled to Europe to pursue his career, carrying in his baggage his “National Superior Professor for piano” diploma from the National Music Conservatory "Carlos López Buchardo" and an already rich musical experience. This is how he was selected, among 40 worldwide pianists, by the prestigious pianist Maria Tipo in order to complete his training with her at the Superior Music Conservatory of Geneva. |
| Two years later he received the highest qualification:
the first prize of virtuosity with distinction and in addition the
prize Henry Broillet. Nevertheless Vila continued to study: he participated in Karl Engel’s master classes in the Music Conservatory of Bern. He also followed many superior courses in which he received special distinctions (“Diploma di Merito” of the Chigiana Music Academy in Siena/Italy and the "Premio al mejor intérprete" in Gerona/Spain), with great masters such as Maurizio Pollini, Vlado Perlemuter, Gyorgy Sandor, Tatiana Nicolajewa and Luiz de Moura Castro. The latter stated upon hearing him play Liszt’s Sonata in b minor: "…it was the best performance from a young pianist that I have ever heard in my entire life.”. During this period he developed an intense concert activity, which has been constantly increasing, with concerts in all of Europe, United States and Latin America. Vila has participated in many tours and performed in important halls: Teatro Colón/Buenos Aires, Palau de la Música/Barcelona, Piccolo Teatro di Milano, Teatro d'Europa, Espace Pierre Cardin/Paris, Teatro Roma/Varsovia, Kleine Musikhalle/Hamburg, Alte Oper/Frankfurt, Kaufleutensaal/Zürich, University Hall in Helsinki, Omni Hall of Mirrors/Cincinnati, Bern Casino, Casino Kursaal/Interlaken, Max-Joseph-Saal in the Residenz/Munich, Fondation Pierre Gianadda/Martigny, Slovakischen Philharmonie Saal/Bratislava, Herkulessaal/Munich... He was distinguished in various international piano competitions. For example, in 1989, he was unanimously chosen to receive the first prize at the "Maria Canals" competition in Barcelona, where he then interpreted the Brahms second concerto at the "Palau de la Música". He also received the second prize at the "Alessandro Casagrande" competition in Terni/Italy and at the "1989 World Piano Competition" in Cincinnati/USA. He performed as soloist with prestigious orchestras such as the “Orchestre de la Suisse Romande”, the “Orquesta Ciudad de Barcelona”, the "Janacek Philharmonie Orchestra", the "Dresden Philharmonie Orchestra", the “Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne” and the "Berner Symphonieorchester", conducted by Arpad Gerecz, Jun Märkl, Albert Rosen, Frank Cramer, Dennis Burkh, Jörg Peter Weigle, Miguel Gómez Martínez, Christian Arming, Laurent Gendre and Carlos Kalmar. Together with the the "Berner Symphonieorchester”, in 1991, he premiered in Bern the "Reveil des Oiseaux" by Olivier Messiaen. The newspaper "Berner Zeitung" wrote: "...once more this artist has shown his high sensitivity, his superior technique and his wide vision”. In addition to this he has participated in many important Festivals, as those in Lucerne, Gstaad, Cannes, Lisbon, Maracaibo and Bratislava. In this last city he performed in 1992 Beethoven’s third concerto, with great success. Critics stated this time: "Gerardo Vila was the peak moment, among all the pianists during this Festival...”. During the Festival in Interlaken in 1993, he performed Chopin’s first Concerto accompanied by the Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra and conducted by Jörg Peter Weigle. Once again he was praised by the critics in the newspaper "Der Bund": "We were faced, for this performance of Chopin’s Concerto in E minor, with a pianist who managed once again to surprise us, thanks to his extreme pianistic qualities – his wide culture, his incredibly developed sense of musicality and his emotional expression”. Vila had the privilege to have been invited by the prestigious pianist – and previous master – Karl Engel, to perform with him (as a soloist and for four hand pieces). He has also participated in many tours and concerts of the “Camerata Lysy”, having the honor and privilege to play together with Sir.Yehudi Menuhin. As a chamber music player, he appeared with prestigious artists such as Alberto Lysy, Marcio Carneiro, Gyula Stuller, Ana Chumachenco, Thomas Friedli, Patrick Demenga, Karl Engel... He has travelled throughout various countries disseminating Argentinean music, whilst performing next to the singer Milva, the bandoneonist Daniel Binelli and the group “Tango 7” of which Vila was one of the founding members. In the year 2000, he was distinguished as “Invited Member” to the Argentinean Music Council and UNESCO in recognition of his artistic work. In 1999 he performed Beethoven’s fourth Concerto together with the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra and conducted by Christian Arming, on live broadcast for the “Radio Suisse Romande” and performed in the cycle “Berner Studiokonzerte” for the “Schweizer Radio”, with a programme dedicated to piano music by Latin American composers. In the year 2003 he performed the Swiss premiere of the 2nd Concerto for piano and orchestra by the Russian composer Nikolai Medtner together with the "Berner Symphonieorchester" and conducted by Carlos Kalmar. The critics wrote: "…the Argentinean pianist, residing in Bern, excelled through a superior interpretation of a complex piece... Vila received this evening the ovation deserved for a great star...". In 2005, he interpreted the Schumann concert at Munich’s Herkulessaal under the direction of Alejandro Vila. In the following year, he offered Mozart’s Concerto No. 19 at the Maracaibo New World Festival and at Darmstadt’s “Kammerkonzert im Schloss” cycle. As a piano professor, Vila delivered masterly classes at the summer courses in Sighisoara, Rumania, between 1997 and 2003 and at the Maracaibo New World Festival in 2001 and 2006. Since 1991, he has been a professor of the professional section at Switzerland’s Neuchâtel Conservatoire and is regularly invited as an expert to the piano exams at several conservatoires in Switzerland, such as Geneva and Fribourg. In addition to his international concert activity, Vila also trains young musicians and is regularly invited to give masterly piano and chamber music classes in various European and Latin American countries. In 2007, he was invited to give concerts and deliver masterly piano and chamber music courses at several institutions: the Morges Academy, the Maracaibo New World Festival, the Caracas Mozarteum and the Aruba Piano Festival, where he will also be on the jury in the Young Pianists Competition. Gerardo Vila has made several radio recordings and records for VDE-Gallo Lausanne/Switzerland, Zytglogge Bern/Switzerland and Vox/USA. |