Paul Sánchez

Praised as a “great artist” (José Feghali, 2013; Cecilia Rodrigo 2019), Paul Sánchez is a composer and pianist. Of his recent engagements performing music of Ives and Gershwin for Joseph Horowitz’ Music Unwound: American Roots, a program funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, Horowitz stated, “Sanchez’ account of Rhapsody in Blue was original – the most bewitchingly lyric I have ever encountered.”

In a Fanfare Magazine review of Sánchez’ 2016 CD Magus Insipiens, featuring three of Sánchez’ song cycles, Colin Clarke declares, “This is one of the most beautiful discs in my collection…. Haunting in the extreme,” while WFMT’s Henry Fogel, former president of the League of American Orchestras and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, states, “This is hauntingly beautiful music…. works of originality and a distinctive musical personality.”

Sánchez is a recording artist with nine CD releases as of 2021, and his compositions have been featured on the Soundset Recordings and Albany labels. Releases in 2020/21 include Mysteria Fidei on Innova Records featuring new music by David M. Gordon; Dreams of a New Day with baritone Will Liverman for the Cedille label, which reached number 1 on Billboard’s “Traditional Classical Albums” chart; and spirituals of Shawn Okpebholo in collaboration with mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges and baritone Will Liverman.

Dr. Sánchez is Director of Piano Studies and the International Piano Series at the College of Charleston in South Carolina. He is a co-founder of the San Francisco International Piano Festival, the Charleston Chamber Music Intensive, and Dakota Sky Foundation.

Sánchez, a Fulbright fellow from 2005–2007, earned his Master of Spanish Music degree under Alicia de Larrocha. He studied with Tamás Ungár at Texas Christian University, graduating summa cum laude, and with Douglas Humpherys at the Eastman School of Music, where he completed his Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees. Sánchez is a New Piano Collective artist.