'Pianist Of Genius' Gustavo Romero To Perform In Ramona

by Marlene Robershaw

The Ramona Concert Association's 20th Anniversary Season will open Oct. 8 with the return of pianist Gustavo Romero.

Romero was the group's first concert performer in 1985, shortly after the completion of the Olive Peirce Middle School and Performing Arts Center on Hanson Lane. In 1985, Romero was a highly sought-after San Diego child prodigy pianist attending the Juilliard School of Music in New York.

After his graduation from Juilliard, Romero began his worldwide tour to rave reviews, resulting in The Washington Post's label of "A Pianist of Genius." Other reviews acclaim his "phenomenal technical abilities" and "fleet-fingered dexterity." He has been guest pianist for most of the major symphony and philharmonic orchestras in the world. He also is a first-prize winner of the prestigious Clara Haskil International Piano Competition in Switzerland.

After five years as a professor of piano at the University of Illinois, Romero is now a tenured member of the piano faculty at the University of North Texas in Dallas.

This year, his tours and performances include the New Mexico Symphony at Albuquerque; the Conservatory of Castel-franco in Italy; the Mozart Festival in La Jolla; 28 lectures at the La Jolla UCSD campus; South Africa; Canada; Hong Kong; Pusan, South Korea; China; and Ramona.

The Oct. 8 concert will be at 7:30 p.m. at the Charles Nunn Performing Arts Center on Hanson Lane. Doors will open at 7 p.m. for seating and ticket sales. Single tickets are $15 and season memberships may be purchased at $28 for adults and $58 for family memberships.

For more information, call (760) 789-7474 or (760) 788-0434.