He began his musical studies under the guidance of his parents Alberto Grau and Isabel Palacios at three years of age. Make (classical and popular) music studies at the Emil Friedman School. At thirteen years of age he joined the National Youth Orchestra of Venezuela as a cellist and two years later the Renaissance Camerata de Caracas as member.
He collaborates as instrumentalist with the most important choirs of Venezuela and parallel to his musical studies scholars continues its development as a performer in various popular styles.
Gonzalo eventually develops skills as “multi-instrumentalist” instruments like piano, cello, viola da gamba, four, percussion and vocals....
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He began his musical studies under the guidance of his parents Alberto Grau and Isabel Palacios at three years of age. Make (classical and popular) music studies at the Emil Friedman School. At thirteen years of age he joined the National Youth Orchestra of Venezuela as a cellist and two years later the Renaissance Camerata de Caracas as member.
He collaborates as instrumentalist with the most important choirs of Venezuela and parallel to his musical studies scholars continues its development as a performer in various popular styles.
Gonzalo eventually develops skills as “multi-instrumentalist” instruments like piano, cello, viola da gamba, four, percussion and vocals.
In 1995 Gonzalo received a scholarship to “Berklee College of Music” in Boston (USA) where three years later studies culminate with honor “Summa Cum Laude” as a jazz pianist.
Since then Gonzalo has been part of the vanguard of Latin music, playing and arranging for a wide variety of groups and artists among which we highlight Maria Schneider Orchestra, Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Timbalaye, Mango Blue, yields Passion According to St. Marcos and Osvaldo Golijov opera Ainadamar, Rolando Villazon, Katia and Marielle Labeque and their own projects “Plural” and “La Clave Secreta”, nominated for the Grammy Academy Awards (2008) in the category “Best Tropical Latin Album grouping “for his independent production” Modern Fruit “.
Gonzalo lives in Boston where he continues his work as a multi-instrumentalist, arranger, composer and producer in genres like salsa, timba, latin jazz, flamenco and classical-crossover.
He recently completed two record productions for the German classical label Deutsche Grammophon. The studio recording of “The Passion According to St. Mark’s Golijov, and” Mexico “the tenor Rolando Villazon has also produced recordings Mango Blue, West Side Story with Labeque and sisters Nazarene with the Symphony Orchestra of Castilla and Leon.
As a composer has been commissioned by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra as composer for the 2008 season, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for the “MusicNow” 2008 series, and the Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra for the “Nuevo Latino Festival 2009″.
In 2010 writes “Nazarene”, suite for two pianos and orchestra inspired by “The Passion According to St. Mark” Golijov commissioned by the pianists Katia and Marielle Labeque and released in January 2010 by the Orchestre de Paris.
In the same year, the International Bach Academy will charge an oratorio for mixed voices choir and symphony orchestra entitled “Aqua” estranado in August 2011 in Berlin, Caracas and Stuttgart, with the Youth Orchestra of Germany and the Schola Cantorum de Caracas . With this work, Gonzalo received the “Composer of Europe 2011″ (Europäische Komponistenpreis 2011) award from the Young Euro Classic Festival in Berlin.
In 2012 he composed “Travel”, a work commissioned by the “Boston Landmarks Orchestra” for symphony orchestra and ensemble of Latin music, and in 2013 up to Johnny Gandelsman and Community MusicWorks, a concerto for violin and chamber orchestra entitled “Fantasia Guava Habanera “.
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