TRIO CHROMOS

This trio was founded in 2003 conforming an unusual combination for a chamber music group; it is in fact the only one of its kind in Europe which regularly performs original compositions and arrangements for these three instruments.

Among the pieces performed we can find masterworks of great quality which require a highly polished and accomplished instrumental interpretation. In addition, composers from Spain, the United States and Chile have written for this trio in order to promote their pieces, compiling a considerable amount of repertoire for such a formation. There are also composers from the Canary Islands who have showed some interest in writing for them widening their repertoire. They have recently released their first CD with American label Cristal Records under the attractive name `Trumpet Colors´, dedicated to the music for trumpet, cello and piano from contemporary American composers.

 

JOSE LUIS CASTILLO  Piano
This young Grancanarian pianist, with a warm sound and an exquisite taste in his interpretations, is one of the young promises from the Canary Islands. Born in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in 1976, he starts his musical studies aged five, going later the Conservatorio Superior de Música of his city, where he finishes Grado Superior in Piano with honours in 1993, under supervision from professor Esperanza Estades. He was selected in 1996 to continue his piano studies in the Escuela Reina Sofía inMadrid with professors Dmitri Bashkirov and Galina Eguiazarova, and also with Marta Gulyas in Chamber Music, during a period of three years. In 1999 he was elected most outstanding pupil in the Piano Department, receiving the price from her Majesty the Queen of Spain.

FromMadrid he moved to New York, where, between 1999 and 2001, he took the Master in Piano Performance Course in the Manhattan School of Music with Solomon Mikowsky, thanks to the financial support from D. Alejandro del Castillo, Conde de la Vega Grande.

He has combined these studies with masterclasses by Emile Naoumoff, Vitaly Margulis, etc. He has received several prizes during his career.
Ha has also been coordinator of the Piano Department in the Escuela Municipal de Música de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and from 2002 he teaches piano in the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Canarias, at Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

 

ISMAEL BETANCOR  Trumpet

Born in 1976 in Moya (Las Palmas), he started his studies at age seven, entering at eleven the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria under tutelage by Don Santiago Luri; once he finished Grado Medio, he begins studying in the Academy of the Gran Canaria Philharmonic Foundation with professor Alejandro Castañeda Martínez, solo trumpet of the orchestra, with whom he prepares his Grado Superior, obtaining it with distinction. At 18 he gets into the Gran Canaria Philharmonic as co-soloist trumpet, working with them until the present day. He has also studied in Holland with Huug Steketee, trumpet soloist of the´Dutch Residentie Orkest´ and teacher in La Haya Conservatory; in France with Guy Touvron and Eric Aubier, professors at the Paris Conservatoire; in the United States with George Vosburgh, first trumpet of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra; in New York with Raymond Masse (American Brass Quintet) and with Tamás Velenczei, solo trumpet of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. He is currently, since 1997, first trumpet in the Gran Canaria Philharmonic Orchestra.

 

 

CARLOS RIVERO Cello
Born in Gran Canaria, he starts his musical studies on saxophone and later moving on definitely to the cello, studying in the Conservatorio Superior de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria where he finishes his higher degree of cello and chamber music with honours, under Zdzislaw Tytlak. At the same time, he receives lessons at the Music Academy of the Gran Canaria Philharmonic collaborating with this orchestra during three years. He continues his education in the Sweelinck Conservatorium in Amsterdam with professor Jean Decross, leader of the Concertgebouw Orchestra, studying later with Marçal Cervera in Barcelona. He has also received lessons from Radu Aldulescu, María de Macedo and Michael Flakshman among others.

He has been teacher in several music schools in the island and is actually a member of the Gran Canaria Philharmonic Orchestra, holding this position from 1996, and teacher of cello in this orchestra´s academy, as well as being involved in chamber music with several groups and formations like ´Ornati´ quartet or Trio Chromos.