Andrés Cárdenes

United States of America
Cuba

Cuban-born Andrés Cárdenes has garnered international acclaim from critics and audiences alike for his compelling solo violin, chamber music and viola performances, and for his achievements as a conductor and concertmaster. Since capturing the Second Prize at the 1982 Tchaikovsky International Violin Competition in Moscow, Mr. Cárdenes has appeared as soloist with over 100 orchestras on four continents. He is also in growing demand as an international conductor, including the Dallas, Colorado, Detroit and San Diego symphonies, Neue Philharmonie Westfalen, and orchestras in Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay and Venezuela. Rave reviews have followed every appearance. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review declared, “Cárdenes conducts with epic mastery,” when he stepped in for the Pittsburgh Symphony’s ailing Robert Spano.

2021 marked the 44th anniversary of Mr. Cárdenes’ renowned teaching and pedagogical career, which began when he was an assistant to his teacher and mentor Josef Gingold at Indiana University. Today, Mr. Cárdenes continues Professor Gingold’s legacy and discipline while holding the title of Distinguished Professor of Violin Studies and an endowed chair at Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Music. In addition, Cárdenes gives master classes regularly at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, the Manhattan School of Music, the Cleveland Institute of Music, the Curtis Institute of Muic, and at virtually every major university and conservatory in the United States.

Mr. Cárdenes is the Artistic and Music Director of the Josef Gingold Chamber Music Festival of Miami, which he co-founded in 2019. His complete discography includes over two dozen recordings of concerti, sonatas, orchestral and chamber music. Among his recorded repertoire are Leonardo Balada’s complete works for violin, Schubert’s Fantasie and Sonatinas, the complete Brahms and Hindemith Sonatas and Chausson’s Concerto for violin, piano and string quartet.