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Acclaimed Spanish Pianist Isabel Dobarro Releases First Solo Album: Kaleidoscope

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media contact: David Perry / (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com 


Acclaimed Spanish Pianist Isabel Dobarro
Releases First Solo Album: Kaleidoscope

Album is Dedicated to the Great Women Composers of our Time

Artist and Activist has performed in the United States (Carnegie Hall), Spain, Germany, France, Russia, Belgium, Argentina, Italy, and Portugal

14 November 2024 – New York: Isabel Dobarro (www.isabeldobarro.com), one of the most internationally promising Spanish pianists of her generation, has released her first solo album, Kaleidoscope (Naxos-Grand Piano). The album became available last month. The 32-year-old Galician pianist and activist has curated a unique repertoire made up entirely of works by the great women composers of our time in a sonic journey that spans artists from the United States, Latin America, Africa, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Kaleidoscope celebrates unity in diversity through the universal language of music, with works by female composers from all over the world, creating a true sound kaleidoscope of diverse aesthetics and perspectives. The album is available in stores worldwide and online at:

(NOTE TO MEDIA: Links below to liner notes and foreword for Kaleidoscope)

“With Kaleidoscope I want to celebrate unity in diversity through composers from every continent, different cultures, generations, and musical traditions brought together by music,” says Dobarro. “Kaleidoscopeexplores the deepest spectrums of my musical journey, a journey whose paths have been deeply influenced by my discovery of the works of women composers. For different reasons, I deeply admire each of the composers selected to grace this album, and it was both a thrill and a delight to perform their works. Each composition has profoundly affected me as a player, a person, and as a woman.”

In Kaleidcoscope, Dobarro performs works by internationally acclaimed artists, including Gabriela Ortiz, resident composer at New York’s Carnegie Hall; Tania León, Pulitzer Prize winner and Carnegie Hall’s composer-in-residence; Julia Wolfe, Pulitzer Prize winner; Caroline Shaw, Grammy and Pulitzer winner; and Yoko Kanno, a renowned composer of jazz, anime, and video game music in Japan. The works are inspired by a wide range of sources: “Hana Wa Saku” is a national anthem in Japan created in honor of earthquake victims, “Tumbao” has clear Cuban roots, and “Alalá das Paisaxe Verticais” draws from Galician folklore.

“This album is a kaleidoscope of contemporary music styles and various prisms through which to understand current creation,”  Dobarro continues. “Kaleidoscope highlights the importance of women composers, who have been marginalized in history and in today’s programs.”

One of the leading classical pianists of her generation, Dobarro has been awarded numerous prizes at international competitions quickly establishing her reputation as an artist who looks for improving society through her craft. Her performances of the Spanish repertoire (both historic and contemporary) have been highly praised by critics and audiences.She has performed in the United States, Spain, Germany, France, Russia, Belgium, Argentina, Italy, and Portugal including New York’s Carnegie Hall, Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, Rachmaninoff Hall at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, Casina Pio IV in Vatican City, Balassi Center in Brussels, Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona, and the National Auditorium of Music in Madrid.

Dobarro is especially noted for her work in recovering compositions by women, premiering in Spain the quartets of Louise Héritte Viardot and the Piano Concerto in G Major by Marianna Martínez. She undertakes multiple projects that aim to link the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals with the arts. Recently named a ‘Woman to Watch in Culture’ by The Association Mujeres a Seguir.  She has won the Executivas de Galicia Award, was a finalist in the Future Women in Classical Music in London, and holds a doctorate from New York University. Dobarro studied at Harvard University, IE University, Manhattan School of Music, and the Royal Conservatory of Music in Madrid. Dobarro is a professor at the Katarina Gurska Higher Center, President of the European Music Center in Spain, and a visiting professor at the London Performing Academy of Music (UK). She performs regularly with National Music Award winner and RTVE Orchestra concertmaster Miguel Borrego, guitarist José María Gallardo del Rey, and also with her husband, flautist Rubén Torres Melero. 

Dobarro holds a doctorate from New York University, where she began teaching at age 19 as an Adjunct Instructor. Her studies include a Professional Studies Degree from Manhattan School of Music, a Master’s from NYU, and a degree from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Madrid. She also holds a Law degree from UNED, has studied law at NYU SPS, sustainability at SDG Academy, International Relations at Harvard University, and business at Harvard Business School HBX. She completed a leadership course at Cambridge University and a dual master’s in law and bilingual legal advisory at IE Law School. Dobarro divides her time between Madrid and New York City.