Raúl García is the Principal violist of the National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia. Winner of the Georgina Lucy Grosvenor Memorial Viola Prize at the Yale School of Music for excellence in performance, Raúl has established himself as one of the most promising artists of his generation.
García has concertized at the most prestigious concert halls in his native country and abroad including the Luis Angel Arango Music Library, Carnegie Hall, Sapporo Concert Hall Kitara, Merkin Concert Hall, the Leonard Bernstein Memorial Stage, the National Arts Centre and
the Lincoln Center, among others. He has collaborated with artists such as Ani Kavafian, Donald Weilerstein, Ettore Causa, Gilbert Kalish, David Halen, Andres Diaz, Chee Yun Kim, Gary Hoffman and members of the Tokyo and the Julliard String Quartets.
A passionate chamber music and solo performer, Raúl has appeared at The St. Lawrence Quartet Chamber Music Seminar, Innsbrook Institute, Zukerman’s Young Artist Program, Pacific Music Festival (PMF), Yellow Barn, the Perlman Music Program (PMP), the Guadalajara International Music Festival (FIMG), the Menuhin Music Festival Gstaad, Pro Música San Miguel de Allende and the Esmeraldas International Music Festival. He has performed with every major orchestra in his native country including the Bogotá Philharmonic Orchestra, Del Valle Symphony Orchetra, and the National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia performing the B. Bartok, W. Walton, P. Hindemith Der Schwanendreher viola concertos. J.S Bach Brandengurg concerto no. 6 and W. A Mozart´s Sinfonia Concertante. Recent discography projects include a CD for NAXOS titled ‘’Tango Distinto’’ with music of Astor Piazzola; along with trombone player Achilles Liarmakopoulos.
Raúl holds a Magna Cum Laude Bachelor ́s Degree in Music from Juan N. Corpas University; Master of Music and Artist Diploma degrees from the Yale School of Music holding the Georgina Grosvenor Scholarship and a Doctor of Music and Arts Degree from Rutgers University, where he was trained by Philadelphia Orchestra Principal Violist, Choong-Jin Chang. Mr. García has participated in master classes with Roberto Diaz, Kim Kashkashian, Michael Tree, Joseph de Pasquale, Carol Rodland, Peter Slowik, Roger Tapping, Paul Neubauer, Willfried Strehle and Pinchas Zukerman. His main teachers include Octavio Carmona, Anibal Dos Santos, Jesse Levine, Toby Appel, Ettore Causa, C.J Chang, and The Tokyo String Quartet.
Raúl García serves on the viola faculties of Juan N. Corpas University Foundation, and The Pontifical Xavierian University in Bogota, Colombia. He is regularly invited to give master classes at music schools, such as The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, The Boston Conservatory at Berklee College of Music and The University of Montreal. Raúl performs on two violas made by Robert Brode (2004) and Sergio Peresson (1979).
