The Argentine José Gallardo, born in 1970, is one of the most sought-after chamber music pianists in the world. At the age of 5, he began to take piano lessons at the Conservatory in Buenos Aires. Later, he continued his studies with Prof. Poldi Mildner at the Department of Music, University of Mainz, Germany, from which he graduated in 1997. During that time, he already discovered his passion for chamber music.
He was musically inspired by artists like Menahem Pressler, Alfonso Montecino, Karl-Heinz Kammerling, Sergiu Celibidache, Rosalyn Tureck and Bernard Greenhouse.
José Gallardo received numerous national and international awards. He was invited to numerous musical festivals, such as Chamber Music Festival Lockenhaus, Verbier Festival, Lucerne Festival, Chopin and his Europe Warsaw, Schleswig Holstein, Kronberg Academy Festival, Cork Music Festival, City of London Festival, Musiktage Hitzacker, Budapest Academy Festival and the Rheingau Music Festival.
In chamber music José Gallardo collaborated among others with Gidon Kremer, Vilde Frang, Michael Guttman, Andreas Ottensamer, Philippe Quint, Veronika Eberle, Diana Tishchenko, Benjamin Appl, Nils Mönkemeyer, Barnabás Kelemen, Linus Roth, Tomoko Akasaka, Janusz Wawrowski, Nicolas Altstaedt, Julius Berger, Danjulo Ishizaka, Miklós Perényi, Maximilian Hornung. He performs in Europe, Asia, Israel, Oceania and South America. The major concert halls he has performed at include Berlin Philharmonie, the Zurich Tonhalle, the Laeiszhalle and Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, the Teatro della Pergola in Florence and the Wigmore Hall in London.
He recorded for among others EMI, Warner, Deutsche Grammophon, Hänssler, Challenge as well as for television and radio productions in BR, SWR, MDR, BBC, RAI, AMC.
José Gallardo’s highlights for the 2024/25 season include tours in Europe and in Asia with Andreas Ottensamer, Akiko Suwanai, Michiaki Ueno and Sunao Goko.
Since 2008 he has been teaching at Leopold Mozart Centre, University of Augsburg. Together with Andreas Ottensamer, he is artistic director of the chamber music festival “Bürgenstock Festival” in Lucerne.
“The most sensitive Argentine Matador in the world. He is one of the best friends one can have; one you can always count on. He has incredible integrity, has a fire burning inside him unlike any other, and while he is eternally modest, he is also the perfect embodiment of masculine elegance. I completely understand why Martha Argerich has a high opinion on him: he immediately conveys the essence of any given musical piece with a single note he plays. I remember one time when he was playing accompaniment for a virtuoso violin piece, and it wasn’t the violinist’s performance that made the audience hiss, but José’s piano playing. It is wonderful to do anything with him, but playing Argentine tango is pure heaven!”
Barnabás Kelemen about José Gallardo
