Abdiel Vazquez

Abdiel Vazquez (born 1984) is a Mexican pianist who has won major awards for his playing both in Mexico City and in New York. Vazquez grew up just outside the city of Monterrey to a doctor and an engineer. He began studying the piano at age six, but his parents did not realize the extent of his talent until he won his first competition at the age of twelve. Vazquez did his professional studies at the Escuela Superior de Música y Dance de Monterrey, and after receiving a scholarship, went on to the Manhattan School of Music, then studied privately in Madrid. He currently lives in New York, working as a vocal coach with Metropolitan Opera House and Juilliard School. In 2006, he won the Angelica Morales-Yamaha National Piano Competition, his debut at the Palacio de Bellas Artes, and in 2013 he won Shining Stars Debut Series, his debut at Carnegie Hall.

Life Abdiel Vazquez (full name Abdiel Antonio Vázquez Fortozo ) was born in Monterrey, in 1984, and grew up in the small suburb down of Guadalupe,

His grandfather was a laborer, but his father was able to put himself through school working in Monterrey's steel industry. His middle-class upbringing allowed for musical studies for all of the children but only Abdiel has made it a profession. His father stated that the family knew he could play well, but did not understand the extent of his talent until he won his first piano competition, the Sala Beethoven, when Vazquez was 12. For his final exam, Vazquez chose a piece that his instructor told him would take year to prepare for. He also founded the Little Chopins piano school for children there. He has performed at the Palacio de Bellas Artes since his debut, and appeared at the Festival Internacional Cervantino twice (2010 and 2014). He has also performed solo at the International Youth Symphonic Festival.

Outside of Mexico, Vazquez has performed in the United States, South America and Europe. He made his debut in the United States with the Youth Orchestras of San Antonio and in South America with the National Symphony of Peru and in Europe with the Mihail Jorá Philharmonic Orchestra in Bacau, Romania. He has competed in international events such as the Viña del Mar International Competition, the Fulbright Concerto Competition in Arkansas, Artists International Presentations of New York, the Cittá di Cantu in Italy and the Gabala International Competition in Azerbaijan. He debuted with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra during their 2014–2015 season. In 2015, he held a private recital with soprano Maria Katzarava at Guildhall in London for that city's mayor and the president of Mexico.

Awards Even before finishing his conservatory studies, Vazquez had won a number of awards for his artistry, including the Nuevo Leon State Youth Award (2004), the National Youth Award from the Mexican president Vicente Fox (2006), the Medalla al Mérito Ciudadano (Civic Merit Medal, 2007) .

His first win at a major competition was the 2006, Angelica Morales-Yamaha National Piano Competition, playing Rachmaninoff's Third Piano Concerto. In 2010, he won the José Jacinto Cuevas National Piano Competition, and placed third at the Manuel M. Ponce International Competition.

In 2013, he won the first edition of The World Competition, an international music competition held entirely online. That same year he won his first major international competition, the Shining Stars Debut Series, which was also his debut at Carnegie Hall in New York, playing Manuel Ponce’s Piano Concerto.

Artistry Influences on Vazquez's development include Gerardo González, James Tocco, and Oxana Yablonskaya; the conductor David Gilbert, and the mezzo-soprano Mignon Dunn. He says that his favorite composer is who he happens to be playing at the moment, and his repertoire includes works by Beethoven, Grieg, Saint-Saens, Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Ravel, Poulenc, Gershwin, Barber, Castro, and Ponce, but works by Franz Liszt and Sergei Rachmaninoff are particularly common.