Before immigrating to the United States in 1979, Martha Marchena was already one of Cuba's most promising pianists. She graduated with honors from the University of Miami, where she wrote her dissertation on the piano works of Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos. A versatile artist, she has performed as a soloist with orchestras and chamber music ensembles across Europe and North and South America. Noted for the originality of her programming, critics have praised the intensity of her interpretations as well as the emotional impact she brings to the audience. Music historian and critic David Greene has described her playing as exquisite and breathtaking, remarking on the great emotional range of her interpretations. Continuing to perform extensively, Marchena has gained recognition for her ambitious and refreshing repertoire in contemporary music, as well as for her expertise in Latin American music. She brings to the forefront many of the underrepresented composers of her heritage. Marchena has been invited to perform in major international music festivals, including the Encuentros Festival in Buenos Aires, the International Contemporary Music Festival in San Salvador, Festival Internacional de Musica Contemporanea in Havana Cuba, Festival Internacional de las Artes of Universidad de Puerto Rico, Fiesta Iberoamericana de las Artes in Puerto Rico, Latin American Music Festival in Caracas and Festival Opera Barga in Italy. Her recent repertoire uniquely incorporates the music of many contemporary Latin and South American female composers.
Marchena also maintains a rigorous academic profile as Distinguished Professor and Director of Piano and Keyboard Studies in the Conservatory of Music of Kean University in New Jersey. She has participated in many residencies, giving master classes, lecturing and performing recitals internationally, bridging Latin and South American music and women studies. In 2001, she was the recipient of the Hispanic Caucus Latino Cultural Arts Award from the American Association for Higher Education, and she was recently awarded her second grant from The Fund for United States Artists at International Festivals and exhibitions by the Rockefeller Foundation for the National Endowment for the Arts. In 2002, she was a featured artist at the IV Premio Iberoamericano de Musica Tomas Luis de Victoria sponsored by the King and Queen of Spain. From 2007 2010, she was a panelist in the Piano Committee for the prestigious National Fulbright Award. In 2010, Marchena was named President of the Jury of the inaugural competition Primer Concurso Iberoamericano de Jovenes Pianistas in Santo Domingo, where she will serve as President Emeritus for all future competitions.
Marchena's debut recording Sonoric Rituals [Albany Troy 242] was highly acclaimed worldwide, receiving a special honor in the Vienna Modern Masters Recording Competition and receiving a Grammy nomination. On MSR Classics, the present recording and The Piano Works of Aurelio de la Vega [MS1088] received high acclaim from numerous prestigious national and international music periodicals. Marchena was also invited by Spain s National Radio to release Casi una Pregunta, Casi una Respuesta [MS1219]. In 2008, she was acknowledged as a foremost authority of Latin American music by Piano Magazine editor Jeremy Seipmann and has been a featured artist on David Dubal's nationally broadcast radio program Reflections from Keyboard.
![Cancion Sin Palabras: Traditional Latin American Piano Music [2014 Edition]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61M4NeFlPTL._SL500_.jpg)
