Alvaro was awarded First Prize at the Villa de Molina Competition; Third prize at the Entre Cuerdas y Metales Competition; First prize at the Summa Cum Laude Competition with the Youth Orchestra of the Province of Alicante at the Musikverein in Vienna; Third prize at the International Viola Competition Villa de Llanes; First prize at the regional edition, second prize, and the Best String Performer Award at the national edition of the Intercentros Competition in 2016.
Alvaro was born in Murcia, and began his viola studies at the Murcia Music Conservatory with Antonio Clares, achieving honors in all courses.
He is a student of Nobuko Imai at the Viola Chair of the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía, where he is pursuing advanced viola studies. He has refined his skills with Alan Kovacs, Joaquín Riquelme, Michael Gieler, Avri Levitan, Ashan Pillai, Pauline Sachse, Hariolf Schlichtig, Tabea Zimmermann, Antoine Tamestit, Timothy Ridout, Josep Puchades and Krzysztof Chorzelski.
In 2016, he was selected for the Madrid Symphony Orchestra’s Talented Students Project, performing with its soloists at the Teatro Real. He participates in chamber groups and orchestras, including the Youth Orchestra of the Region of Murcia, the Murcia Camerata, the Youth Orchestra of the Province of Alicante, the University of Murcia’s Orchestra, the Forum Musikae Orchestra and the Elche Symphony Orchestra.
Close-Up:
- I never listen to only a single musical genre or style. The time of day influences what I like: In the morning, I like lively and happy music, and as the day goes on, and bedtime approaches, I listen to calmer music to help me relax. In terms of classical music, I listen to a lot of chamber music, particularly string quartets and quartets with piano, but I like other things as well.
- I cannot say that among the teachers I have had there has been one who influenced me most as a musician. There is no doubt my parents were my first instructors. They are both guitarists and, thanks to them, music has always formed part of my life. My viola teacher at Conservatory, Antonio Clares, was also a big influence when I was studying with him. My teachers at the Queen Sophia Higher Conservatory of Music, Nobuko Imai and Wenting Kang, have a special place. They motivated and helped me to be my best and to become as versatile a musician as possible, playing either chamber music, as part of an orchestra or as a soloist.
- My ideal day off would be Sunday, although as a musician it isn’t easy to get a Sunday off. In fact, rather than having an entire day off, what I really like is having some time off every day, and not having to juggle too many things in my head.
- In performances I really value spontaneity and ease in interpretation, but I believe that in order to feel free while you are performing, you really need to have studied the piece and have a deep understanding of what you are playing. Both facets are important and being able to combine them is crucial for the best result.
- What I like the most about Nostrum Mare Camerata is that it feels like a breath of fresh air. Although Jacobo Christensen, our director, thoroughly studies the pieces we play, he also includes new elements that make our interpretation of them original. Our audiences never get bored and have a wonderful time at our concerts. For me, this is one of Jacobo’s strengths as a musician. You can listen to recordings of any of the pieces we play, but the Nostrum Mare Camerata always sounds genuinely fresh and we make it our own. It is important to not just do what everyone else does, but to think things out for yourself.