Biography
Pianist Kristhyan Benitez first reached a global audience after joining the Steinway & Sons roster in the early 2020s, where his initial pair of releases focused entirely on Latin American repertoire.
Born near 1984 in Caracas, Venezuela, he began piano studies at age four and, in an online biography, describes his career as “Classical Pianist, Apr 1988-present,” noting that his earliest public recital took place that same year. His training combined Venezuelan, European, and American elements. After completing a bachelor’s degree at Oberlin College in Ohio in 2003, he earned a second bachelor’s from the Manhattan School of Music in 2005. A performance diploma followed in 2006 from the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg, then a master’s degree in 2008 from the École Normale de Musique Alfred Cortot in Paris. He later settled in the United States, obtaining a graduate performance diploma from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee in 2010 and an artist diploma there in 2013; his principal instructor at Berklee was Michael Lewin, also affiliated with Steinway & Sons. His first recording appeared in 2016 with the Berliner Symphoniker led by conductor Eduardo Marturet.
After returning to Venezuela, Benitez held an artist-in-residence position at the Fundación Musical Simón Bolívar, the administrative body overseeing the El Sistema network, though he maintains his primary residence in New York. He has performed throughout South America, the United States, Europe, and Asia, appearing at such prominent halls as the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, Lincoln Center in New York, Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco, and the Philharmonie in Berlin. Additional recordings for independent labels emerged during the late 2010s, including the album Miniatures, which earned a bronze medal at the Global Music Awards. Signed to Steinway & Sons, he issued his label debut, Latin American Classics, in August 2020; the album received a Latin Grammy Award for Best Classical Album. His follow-up Steinway & Sons release, devoted to Ernesto Lecuona’s Afro-Cuban Dances, earned a nomination in the same category in 2023.
Born near 1984 in Caracas, Venezuela, he began piano studies at age four and, in an online biography, describes his career as “Classical Pianist, Apr 1988-present,” noting that his earliest public recital took place that same year. His training combined Venezuelan, European, and American elements. After completing a bachelor’s degree at Oberlin College in Ohio in 2003, he earned a second bachelor’s from the Manhattan School of Music in 2005. A performance diploma followed in 2006 from the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg, then a master’s degree in 2008 from the École Normale de Musique Alfred Cortot in Paris. He later settled in the United States, obtaining a graduate performance diploma from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee in 2010 and an artist diploma there in 2013; his principal instructor at Berklee was Michael Lewin, also affiliated with Steinway & Sons. His first recording appeared in 2016 with the Berliner Symphoniker led by conductor Eduardo Marturet.
After returning to Venezuela, Benitez held an artist-in-residence position at the Fundación Musical Simón Bolívar, the administrative body overseeing the El Sistema network, though he maintains his primary residence in New York. He has performed throughout South America, the United States, Europe, and Asia, appearing at such prominent halls as the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, Lincoln Center in New York, Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco, and the Philharmonie in Berlin. Additional recordings for independent labels emerged during the late 2010s, including the album Miniatures, which earned a bronze medal at the Global Music Awards. Signed to Steinway & Sons, he issued his label debut, Latin American Classics, in August 2020; the album received a Latin Grammy Award for Best Classical Album. His follow-up Steinway & Sons release, devoted to Ernesto Lecuona’s Afro-Cuban Dances, earned a nomination in the same category in 2023.
Albums
