Biography

Valentín Sánchez Piñero was born in Seville, Spain and began learning the violin with his parents, who are violin professors.

In 2022-23, he begins his Masters at the Royal Academy of Music in London, studying with Alexander Redington, having previously studied with professors Keyko Wataya (University of Music of the Basque Country), Reto Kuppel (Nuremberg University of Music) and Natalia Prishepenko (Dresden University of Music).

The young violinist was also accepted into the Academy for Orchestral Studies Barenboim-Said, where he received lessons from Axel Wilckoz and Michael Barenboim.

He has won third prize at The North International Music Competition in Sweden.

As an orchestral musician, Valentín has performed with renowned conductors including Valery Gergiev, Philippe Herreweghe, Sir Mark Elder, Joanna Mallwitz, John Wilson, Ryan Bancroft, Alondra de la Parra or Lütz Köhler, and with orchestras including Collegium Vocale Gent in Belgium, Mariinsky Orchestra in Russia, State Theatre Nuremberg, Neubrandenburg Philharmonic or Südwestdeutsche Philharmonie Konstanz.

With a keen interest in baroque music, Valentín has been a member of the Orquesta Barroca de Sevilla (Seville Baroque Orchestra) since 2021 and he has played with ensembles and musicians such as the Academy of Ancient Music, La Serenissima, Bremer Barockorchester, Shunske Sato, Cecilia Bernardini, Dorothee Oberlinger or Hiro Kurosaki.

Valentín has also been a guest at international festivals including BBC Proms, Villa Música Rheinland-Pfalz, Moritzburg Festival, Grafenegg Festival, Davos Festival and Mendelssohn on Mull.

He has performed in concert halls such as the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Royal Albert Hall, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Berliner Philharmonie, Konzerthaus Berlin, Gewandhaus Leipzig, Luxemburg Philharmonie or Kölner Philharmonie.

He counts among his musical influences Helmut Lachenmann, Daniel Gaede, Hartmut Rohde, Robin Willson, Lena Neudauer, Krzysztof Wegrzyn, Heime Müller, Daniel Phillips, Eckard Runge, Suyeon Kang, Albert Breuninger, Daniel Dodds, Simone Bernardini and Roberto González Monjas.

In collaboration with BR-Klassik, Valentín has recorded works by Anton Bruckner, Richard Wagner, Konstantia Gourzi and Birke Bertelsmeier.

Valentín plays on a Giuseppe Gagliano violin from Naples (1780) generously loaned by the Royal Academy Museum.