THE AMERICAN RECITAL DEBUT AWARD CONCERT TOUR 2025
A Piano and Cello Recital by Steinway Artist Victor Santiago Asunción and Gabriel Martins
30th November 2025 | 17.00 - 18.00 hrs.
Steinway Thailand is excited to host the Thailand stop of “The American Recital Debut Award Concert Tour 2025”, a distinguished international series founded by Steinway Artist Victor Santiago Asunción to showcase emerging classical musicians recognised for their exceptional potential for a performance career. This year, Prize Winner cellist Gabriel Martins joins the Steinway Artist on stage to share his remarkable musical nuance that earned him this prestigious recognition.
From the beauty of Brahms’ Cello Sonata to the grace of Chopin’s Études, this recital concludes with the eloquent dialogue between cello and piano in Ginastera’s Pampeana, capturing the rich spirit of South America.
Join us for a recital that celebrates the beauty of musical conversation between two instruments, expressing the sonority of vibrant classics on the iconic Steinway & Sons Grand Piano.
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Program
Cello Sonata No. 1 in E minor,
Op. 38
I. Allegro non troppo
II. Allegretto quasi Menuetto
III. Allegro
Johannes Brahms
Études Op. 25 No. 1 in A flat major
Études Op. 10 No. 3 in E major
Ballade Op. 47 in A flat major
Scherzo Op. 31 in B flat minor
Frédéric Chopin
Pampeana No. 2, Op. 21
for Cello and Piano
Alberto Ginastera
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THE PERFORMERS
Victor Santiago Asunción - Steinway Artist
Hailed by The Washington Post for his "poised and imaginative playing,” Filipino-American pianist Victor Santiago Asunción has appeared in concert halls all over the world as a recitalist and concerto soloist. A chamber music enthusiast, he has performed with artists such as Lynn Harrell, Antonio Meneses, and the Dover and Emerson String Quartets. He was on the chamber music faculty of the Aspen Music Festival, and a pianist for Dorothy DeLay’s studio. Festival appearances include the Amelia Island, Aspen, Highland-Cashiers, International Cello Institute, Music in the Vineyards, Santa Fe, Sitka, Serafin, and Texas Cello. His numerous recordings include those with John-Henry Crawford, Evan Drachman, Alexander Hersh, Lynn Harrell, and Joseph Johnson. Victor is the Artistic Director and Founder of the Evanston Chamber Music Society, and Chamber Music @Lauderdale by the Sea, and the Founder, Artistic and Board Director of FilAm Music Foundation, and the “American Recital Debut Award.” Victor was recently appointed Artistic Director of the Memphis Chamber Music Society in Tennessee.
Victor Santiago Asunción is a Steinway Artist.
Gabriel Martins - Cellist
Brazilian-American cellist Gabriel Martins (b. 1998) has established himself as one of the world's most compelling young musicians. His artistry has already been recognized through an extensive list of accolades including the American Recital Debut Award, Concert Artists Guild/Young Classical Artists Trust Grand Prize, the Sphinx Competition Gold Medal, the David Popper International Cello Competition Gold Medal, the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians Silver Medal, the Schadt String Competition Gold Medal, the Orford Music Award, and the Prague Spring Czech Music Fund Prize. These successes have led to a number of high-profile debuts including Carnegie, Merkin, and Wigmore Halls, 92nd Street Y, the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, and the Alabama, Arkansas, Greensboro, Houston, Indianapolis, Memphis, Montréal, New Russian State, Omaha, Pacific, Phoenix, San Francisco, and São Paulo Symphony Orchestras. The Strad Magazine declared his all-Bach New York City recital debut to be "flawlessly played...a deeply moving experience”, and he has been named one of the Classic FM “30 under 30” Rising Stars.
Lauded for his "rich, warm" and "mesmerizing" sound, Martins carries a concerto repertoire spanning every major work. In recital, his interpretations of the Bach Cello Suites and arrangements of the Violin Sonatas and Partitas have garnered particular recognition. He is currently undertaking a project to record all twelve masterpieces. Martins’ playing has been broadcast on NPR, WQXR, KUSC, WFMT, and more. His festival appearances include Aspen, Bard, Brevard, Chamberfest Cleveland, Four Seasons, La Jolla, Mainly Mozart, Ravinia, and Yellow Barn.
Martins grew up in Bloomington, Indiana and began playing the cello when he was five, studying with Susan Moses at the Indiana University String Academy. He went on to receive his B.M. as a Presidential Scholar at the USC Thornton School of Music with Ralph Kirshbaum. In his freshman year at USC, he won the school’s concerto competition as well as its Bach competition. He received his M.M. at the New England Conservatory of Music with Laurence Lesser. He now makes his residence in Charleston, South Carolina. In addition to performing, he also composes and teaches. He plays a composite Francesco Ruggieri cello made in Cremona, c. 1690 and a François Nicolas Voirin bow made in Paris, c. 1880.
THE REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT IS CLOSED.
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LOCATION
Steinway & Sons Showroom
#1F-04 Gaysorn Center, 1st Floor
999 Phloen Chit Rd., Lumpini, Bangkok