Antonio Iturrioz

Concert pianist, documentarian and Steinway Artist Antonio Iturrioz, born in Cuba, came to the United States when he was 7 years old. Giving his first concert at 9, he played the Liszt First Piano Concerto for his orchestral debut at 15. His teachers have included his father, Pablo Iturrioz; Francisco De Hoyos, a pupil of Gyorgi Sandor; Bernardo Segall, who studied with the Liszt pupil Alexander Siloti; Aube Tzerko; and Julian White. He has taken master classes from Byron Janis, Alexis Weissenberg, Jorge Bolet, and Andre Watts.

While recuperating from an injury to his right hand, Iturrioz learned important and obscure works for the left hand, including the complete Godowsky arrangements and original compositions. This led to his first film, the unique documentary The Art of the Left Hand: A Brief History of Left Hand Piano Music, called “an important film” by Clavier magazine. His second, The Buddha of the Piano: Leopold Godowsky, the only film about Godowsky, has been shown at international piano festivals, colleges in the U.S., and the Edinburgh Society of Musicians. Released to high praise from many pianists and scholars, Marc-Andre Hamelin said, “Antonio Iturrioz has performed a wonderful service to music lovers in general and pianophiles in particular….” Carlo Grante said, “As a musician and person of devotion to the cause of Godowsky’s music, I think Iturrioz is the man we have been waiting for.” Scotland’s greatest pianist-composer Dr. Ronald Stevenson said of the film, “It is an important film for all pianists and pianophiles….You reveal with skill, clarity and sensitivity the intricacies of his polyphonic piano writing.” . Both films have been featured on national public television.

Iturrioz in 2013 gave the world premiere performance of one piano of L.M. Gottschalk's complete two-movement symphony, La Nuit des Tropiques, having transcribed for the first time for one piano the second movement, “Fiesta Criolla.” The world premiere recording was included on his 2018 release on Steinway & Sons titled Gottschalk and Cuba.