Alfonso Montecino celebrates 80th birthday

Chilean composer and pianist Alfonso Montecino celebrated his 80th birthday on October 28, 2004.

Montecino's sucessful international career spans over fifty years. It includes orchestra concerts and recitals, jury participations, pedagogical activities, and numerous awards. Some of the highlights of his career include: studies with compatriot Claudio Arrau as well as classes with Randall Thompson (Princeton University), Bohuslav Martinu (Mannes College of Music), Roger Sessions (Juilliard College of Music), and Edgar Varèse (Columbia University); recitals at Cargnegie Hall; thirty three peformances of J. S. Bach's complete Well-Tempered Clavier as well as the performance of the complete cycle of the Beethoven's thirty-two sonatas on ten different ocassions; appointment to the piano faculty at Indiana University School of Music (Bloomington) where he eventually became Professor Emeritus; and honorary memberships of the Instituto de Chile and the University of Chile.

Since concertizing and teaching prevented him from devoting himself to composing, after his early retirement Montecino re-initiated his composing activity with intense dedication. Montecino believes that his familiarity with compositional techniques, musical analysis, and creative activity has influenced him as a performer, piano teacher and composer. He is the author of more than fifty works that include two string quartets, numerous compositions for chamber music ensembles, choral works, solo piano pieces, voice and piano songs, a saxophone quartet, a cantata for soprano and eight instruments, and a trio for piano, violin and cello. His compositions have been performed at numerous festivals of contemporary music in Spain, Argentina, Venezuela, United States, and Chile.

On October 10th friends and family gathered at Bloomington's Unitarian Universalist Church to attend a tribute ceremony. This ceremony included a heterogenous group of speakers and performers who have known Montecino through the years.

The youngest performers were Thomas and Kenneth Gunderson, grandchildren of Montecino who played piano and guitar respectively. There were also performances by Patricia Parraguez (piano), Fred and Marina Hammond (piano four hands), Pablo Mahave-Veglia (cello) and Karen Shaw (piano). A soprano, flute, bassoon, and piano ensemble performed Ann K. Gebuhr's Veris Adventus dedicated to Alfonso Montecino.

The speakers included one of the composer's daughters, Ingrid Montecino, who welcomed everyone and gave a summary of her father's career; Charles Webb, former dean of the School of Music; and Ann Gebuhr who praised Montecino's qualities as a teacher, mentor, and friend. Juan Orrego-Salas opened his remarks by stating, "For me to think of Alfonso Montecino is to extend my memory to the entire length of my life." Orrego-Salas explained how they became close friends as students of the National Conservatory of Music in Chile. Carmen Téllez, present director of the Latin American Music Center and former piano student of Montecino, recalled several anectodes that demonstrated the impact that Montecino had in her musical and professional development. Finally Andrew and Justin Montecino, two other grandchildren, closed the ceremony by recounting some of their favorite things about their grandfather.