This young pianist belongs to the new generation of Venezuelan musicians who stand out internationally. Born in Caracas, 25-year-old Kristhyan Benitez started his steps toward his music career at the age of four with Olga Lopez, pupil of the acclaim artist Magda Tagliaferro. Three months later, he played for an audience of 2000 people at one of the most important halls in Caracas, The Teresa Carreño Cultural Complex.
He has won top prizes in several national and international piano competitions, including countries such as Argentina, Cuba, Mexico, France, Venezuela, USA, Germany, and Austria among others. At the 1996 National Philharmonic Orchestra Soloist Competition in Caracas, Venezuela, plastic artist Jesús Soto crafted and awarded him a unique medal for the First prize. Kristhyan Received the "Jose Felix Ribas Award", the highest honor given by the President of Venezuela in 1998, for his cultural contribution and enhancement of his country overseas.
Kristhyan has received many Master Classes with acclaimed pianists including Judit Jaimes, Frank Fernández, Abraham Abreu, Marco Antonio D'Almeida, Walter Blankenheim, Elgin Roth, Sthephan Möller, Joaquin Achucarro, Zoltán Lengyel, Kyoko Ogawa, Jacques Rouvier, Ricardo Castro, Jerome Rose, Robert Roux, Jean Phillipe Collard, François-René Duchable and Jerome Lowenthal.
He has since appeared at some of the world's most prestigious stages such as Philarmonie Hall (Berlin), Town Hall (New York), Ehrbar Saal (Vienna), Salle Cortot (Paris), Amadeo Roldan Theater (Havana) and Rios Reyna at the Teresa Carreño Cultural Complex (Caracas), with performances throughout Europe, South America and the United States.
He has been under the baton of Claudio Abbado, Carlos Riazuelo, Felipe Izcaray, Giancarlo Guerrero, Piero Gamba, Gustavo Dudamel, Patrick Lange, Benjamin Zander, Eduardo Marturet, among others. Engagements with orchestras including Simon Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela, La Havana Symphony, Berliner Symphoniker, Miami Symphony, along with others.
Some of the festivals attended include the 1999 VIP Academy in Vienna, 2001 New World Academy, 2001, "The Piano From Bach to Chick Corea" festival, 2003 Beethoven festival where he played for the director of Beethoven's House in Bohn, Germany, 2006 Steinway Festival and 2008 Palm Beach Atlantic International Piano Festival in USA.
He has recorded a CD with the Berliner Symphoniker under the baton of maestro Eduardo Marturet playing Beethoven's 2nd Piano Concerto in 2001.
Other disciplines as a musician include assistant conductor of the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas in 2005 and Chamber Musician.
Kristhyan had his US debut with the Miami Symphony Orchestra on 2006, playing at the Lincoln Theater in Miami Beach, where in a sold out house he was acclaimed by the audience.
He attended the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio where he studied with Professor Monique Duphil. The Manhattan School of Music under the guidance of Dr. Solomon Mikowsky, now continuing studies with his former teacher Olga López in Caracas, Venezuela.
The École Normale de Musique "Alfred Cortot" in Paris, France and the Fondation Bell'Arte in Brussels, Belgium awarded Kristhyan with The "International Master for Piano Artist", where he studied with acclaimed teachers such as Phillipe Entremont and Nelson delle Vigne in 2006. He is now completing his Graduate Studies where he is under the guidance of Pianist Michael Lewin at The Boston Conservatory of Music.
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