Catalina Pires

 

Guitarr

Germany

Catalina Pires is a prizewinning guitarist and violinist whose  extraordinary versatility has already brought her international acclaim. Among her distinctions are  the Prize at the Concorso Internazionale Michele Pittaluga (28 September 2025, Italy), 2nd Prize at  the International Guitar Competition in Madrid, 2nd Prize at the Athens International Guitar Competition, 1st Prize at the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival Competition, exclusively 1st Prizes  at Jugend musiziert, and the Young Talent Award of the Sparkasse. After her recent prize at the  Michele Pittaluga International Guitar Contest in Alessandria, Italy, she entered the roster of  winners of the World Federation of International Music Competitions (WFIMC).

At just nine years old, Catalina won her first international guitar competition, receiving several special awards as the youngest participant. Since then, she has performed in prestigious venues across Germany and abroad. Highlights include her violin debut with the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra performing Max Bruch’s Violin Concerto, her guitar debut with the Bad Reichenhall Philharmonic Orchestra in Joaquín Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez, her first solo recital at the Gasteig Munich, as well as a special invitation from Avi Avital — after hearing her in a competition where he served as a juror — to perform a joint concert with him at the European Parliament in Brussels. Another milestone was the release of her debut CD Young Genius.

Catalina began violin lessons at the age of six and studied guitar from 2011 to 2022 with Walter Abt in Munich-Schwabing. She was also accepted into the pre-college program at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich, where she studied violin with Prof. Markus Wolf. Since 2022, she has been pursuing a double bachelor’s degree in violin and guitar at the Mozarteum University Salzburg, studying violin with Lavard Skou Larsen and guitar with Prof. Marco Tamayo. She has also refined her artistry in masterclasses with musicians such as Maxim Vengerov, Boris Kuschnir, and Yair Kless.With her rare combination of violin and guitar mastery, Catalina Pires captivates audiences with virtuosity, expressive depth, and a distinctive artistic voice that sets her apart as one of the most promising musicians of her generation.