Biography
BIOGRAPHY OF RAOUL SOSA, C.M.
The artistic talent of the canadian musician, Raoul Sosa ,allows him to combine the roles of pianist , composer and conductor. His stunning musicality and virtuoso performances have been so impressive that music critics have described him as « one of the most important musicians of his time ».
Born in Argentina to a father with slavic roots and a mother of spanish descent, Raoul Sosa’s talent began to manifest itself early when he revealed rare musical abilities at the age of five. A child-prodigy, he was already at fifteen very well known and many national and international singers and instrumentalists asked him as a partner for concerts given in important Societies in Buenos Aires. A skilled chamber player,he has appeared with such top artists as Pina Carmirelli and Max Rostal.
He has acquired a large repertoire which embraces classical,romantic and contemporary music. His programs for contenporary Music Societies include composers like Stockhausen, Messiaen, Xénakis, Louvier, Brenet, Tisné, Schoenberg, Bério, Berg, Luigi Nono.
He studied piano with the renowned Magda Tagliaferro in Paris and Salzburg, Stanislas Neuhaus in Italy and conducting with Sergiu Celibidache in Munich with the participation of the Philharmonic Orchestra.
He was a prize winner in many National and International Competitions and from the beginning of his professional career, he has earned a great reputation and has been recognized as a first-class musician. Raoul Sosa has appeared in numerous recitals, chamber music events and as soloist with orchestras in leading musical centres in Europe, the Americas and Asia and frequently as a guest artist on radio and television.
A highly respected pedagogue and Professor Emeritus at the Conservatoire de Musique de Montreal in piano and chamber music, Raoul Sosa is in demand as a jury member in competitions and festivals, and as a clinician in technique and interpretation in master classes.
He began writing music early in his adolescence and he is an Associate Composer at the Canadian Music Centre and he is hailed as a persuasive and convincing composer. His output includes presently about 60 works for piano,voice,concertos and a variety of instrumental groups. He is a member ot the Conseil québécois de la Musique and he was also on the board of the Arts Council of Montreal for many years .
In 1978, he was awarded the prize of the Canadian Music Council for the best recital recorded by a Canadian artist. The same year, his all-Schubert recording earned him enthusiastic praise from critics for his musicianship and his incredible control of the keyboard.
He has been numerous times invited in China ( Pekin, Canton, Zhengzhou, Shenzen ), Japan and Korea, for extensive tours as both conductor and pianist and to give piano and chamber music classes. His milestone achievement is acclaimed everywhere and he is recognized as « a fine interpreter » , as « a leader and a masterly conductor ». Raoul Sosa’s concerts have been accorded rave reviews and he has gained recognition as an outstanding musician and « a great artist ».
Raoul Sosa was honoured as a Member of the Order of Canada in 2009 for his contribution to the advancement of music in the country as a pianist, composer, conductor and pedagogue.
The Governor General of Canada also awarded him the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012 for his dedicated service to Canada.
He is married with the pianist and actress Mrs. CLAUDE SOSA. He met her in Paris.
BIOGRAPHY OF CLAUDE SOSA
Madame Claude Sosa, pianist and teacher, graduated from Laval University, the Conservatoire de Musique de Québec and the International Piano Academy Magda Tagliaferro in Paris (France).
She studied music and also theater and was a scholarship holder of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs of Quebec and the French Government. She is a member of the Guild of Musicians of Montreal, the Union of Artists of Montreal and the Quebec Music Council.
She was Professor of Piano at McGill University in the Conservatory of Music in the Community Program of the Schulich School of Music. She has been a piano teacher and accompanist at the Conservatoire de Musique de Montréal and Val d’Or, at the Faculty of Music of McGill University, at the Orford Arts Center, at the Sorel and at the Outaouais (Hull) Schools of Music, at Cegep Ahuntsic, at Camp Musical of Laurentides and Lanaudière in Joliette.
She is a regular member of juries for national and international exams and competitions in Quebec, Montreal, Vancouver and France. Her performances include recitals, master classes, chamber music and concerts as a soloist with orchestra, and recordings for Radio-Canada broadcasts.
She has worked in administration for various cultural activities and also as a host and commentator and Director of Operations in a Symphony Orchestra. She has been a member of organizing committees for festivals, concerts and musical events. A sought-after teacher, she is greatly appreciated by her students for her dynamism, ease of communication and her sense of organization.
