LUIS ENRIQUE CASAL R.
One of Panama’s leading violinists and violists, Luis Enrique Casal has been awarded “Remarkable Citizens of Panama 2015″ by Panama’s National Commission Pro Civic Values and Morals. The Panama News cites: “Panama does have a worthy classical scene, and right at the top of it we find Luis Enrique Casal.” Mr. Casal is vice president of the Sinfonía Concertante Foundation of Panama, an honorary academic adviser to the Alfredo Saint Malo Music Festival, and violin/viola instructor at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, the Washington Heights Community Conservatory of Fine Arts, and the Léman Manhattan Preparatory School. Known for his charisma, versatility, and musicality, Mr. Casal is a favorite among audiences and an established artist in both art and folk music stages. He has represented his country in events in England, France, Japan, Italy, Spain, the United States, and Uruguay.
An experienced orchestra player, Mr. Casal has held the position of Principal Violist ad honorem of the National Symphony of Panama, Principal Violist of the Laredo Philharmonic Orchestra, Concertmaster of the Butler Symphony Orchestra in Butler, Pennsylvania, Concertmaster of the Viola Ensemble of the 2003 Tertis International Viola Workshop and Competition, and guest concertmaster of the Altoona Symphony Orchestra. Some of the prestigious conductors he has worked under include Sergio Commissiona, Charles Dutoit, David Effron, Larry Rachleff, Juan Pablo Izquierdo, Eduardo Díaz-Muñóz, Roberto Abbado, Elisabeth Heath Charles, and Teresa Chung.
He is co-founder and member of the Camerata Alfredo De Saint Malo, and currently performs as concertmaster of the Camerata Washington Heights, principal second violin of the Musica De Camara String Orchestra (New York), principal violist of the Metro Chamber Orchestra, violist of the Paramount Chamber Players, violist of the Ava String Quartet, violist/violinist of the The Fontenay Chamber Players, and member of Concerts in Motion New York.
A concert artist in both the violin and the viola, his performances have included chamber music and solo appearances in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Hall, Merkin Hall at Kaufman Center, Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center, the Hall of the Americas at the Organization of American States, the Bruno Walter Auditorium at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, and the Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and residency at the Harper School Chamber Music Camp 2011 and the Loon Lake Live 2011 Summer Concert Series. Mr. Casal is also enthusiastic about collaborating with modern composers having premiered pieces by by Mikolja Gorecki, Howard Lew, Alexandra Dubois, Bartosz Smoragiewicz, and Ricardo Risco. Composers that have dedicated pieces to him include Darwin Aquino, Carlos David Bernales, Jorge A. Figueroa, and Katia Tiutiunnik.
Mr. Casal’s discography includes Luis Casal: Homage to Panama released in January 2007 by Earthcds Partners (www.earthcds.com) [semifinalist in the 2007 Independent World Music Series (IMWS)]; Gustavo Salamín y Luis Casal, Música de Cámara Folclórica Panameña (Folk Chamber Music of Panama) re-released in September 2014 by Earthcds Parners (www.earthcds.com) [first released in August 2002]; and Luis Casal y la Música de Artemio Córdova (Luis Casal and the music of Artemio Córdova) released in 2015 by Multicultura Media’s Rootstock Recording.
Luis began his violin studies at the age of 6 under professor Jorge Vergara and in 1992 moved to the United States to study under scholarship at the New World School of the Arts. He holds degrees from the University of Florida (with honors), Carnegie Mellon University, Indiana University, and the University of Oklahoma. His major teachers include Jorge Vergara, Carmen Cedeño, Cathy Robinson, the Miami String Quartet, Carolyn Huebl, Matthew Dane, Daniel Heiftetz, Atar Arad, and Ilya Kaler.