Pianist. Composer. Teacher. Writer.
American pianist Carlos Gardels has performed and taught throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia, and has forged a unique career that fuses elements of performance, composition, education, and arts outreach.
A Los Angeles native, Mr. Gardels made his debut appearance in Carnegie Recital Hall in 2016. He has been awarded prizes from the Los Angeles International Liszt Competition, the American Protege Competition, and the National Society of Arts and Letters.
He has been invited to perform solo recitals in Paris at the American Church's Atelier Concert Series, in London at St. Martin-in-the Field's "Pianists Of the World" concert series, and has studied and performed at the Alion Baltic Festival in Tallinn, Estonia, and the International Keyboard Institute and Festival in New York City. He has additionally performed as a soloist and chamber musician at numerous venues around his native Southern California. His debut album of solo works by Chopin and Debussy was released by the MSR Classics label in 2024.
Gardels completed his undergraduate studies at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City and received a Master's Degree at Indiana University Bloomington. His major teachers were Hak Soon Swiatkowski, Jeffrey Cohen, Emile Naoumoff, and Neil Stannard. Other mentors have included David Dubal, Cyprien Katsaris, and Ruth Slenczynska. He has also studied composition privately with Ian Krouse.
An esteemed and versatile teacher, Mr. Gardels is on the faculty of Citrus College in Glendora, CA, where he teaches class piano, applied piano, music history, and music appreciation. He has additionally developed a large and vibrant studio of private students in Los Angeles, working with students of all ages and levels. An active member of the Music Teacher's Association of California (MTAC), and the Music Teacher's National Association (MTNA), he currently serves as chairperson of the masterclass program for the Pasadena Branch MTAC. He was voted a 2021 "Top Piano Teacher" by Steinway and Sons, and his private students have won awards at the local an international level, performed in Carnegie Hall, and gone on to become music majors.
He regularly serves as a judge and evaluator for exams and competitions and appears frequently as a masterclass clinician. In 2014 he was a visiting faculty member at the FaceArt Academy of Music in Shanghai.
Gaining increasing notoriety as a composer, his 2017 piece "Late October" was a winner of the MTAC "Composers Today" Awards, and his "Three Fantasies" for Solo Piano were released in August 2022 by Theodore Presser Music. Most recently, his six songs on sonnets of William Shakespeare were premiered in 2024 in collaboration with soprano Nina Berman. As a writer, his articles on music , pedagogy, and composition have been featured in The Huffington Post, Clavier, Pianist Magazine, and the California Music Teacher.
A Los Angeles native, Mr. Gardels made his debut appearance in Carnegie Recital Hall in 2016. He has been awarded prizes from the Los Angeles International Liszt Competition, the American Protege Competition, and the National Society of Arts and Letters.
He has been invited to perform solo recitals in Paris at the American Church's Atelier Concert Series, in London at St. Martin-in-the Field's "Pianists Of the World" concert series, and has studied and performed at the Alion Baltic Festival in Tallinn, Estonia, and the International Keyboard Institute and Festival in New York City. He has additionally performed as a soloist and chamber musician at numerous venues around his native Southern California. His debut album of solo works by Chopin and Debussy was released by the MSR Classics label in 2024.
Gardels completed his undergraduate studies at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City and received a Master's Degree at Indiana University Bloomington. His major teachers were Hak Soon Swiatkowski, Jeffrey Cohen, Emile Naoumoff, and Neil Stannard. Other mentors have included David Dubal, Cyprien Katsaris, and Ruth Slenczynska. He has also studied composition privately with Ian Krouse.
An esteemed and versatile teacher, Mr. Gardels is on the faculty of Citrus College in Glendora, CA, where he teaches class piano, applied piano, music history, and music appreciation. He has additionally developed a large and vibrant studio of private students in Los Angeles, working with students of all ages and levels. An active member of the Music Teacher's Association of California (MTAC), and the Music Teacher's National Association (MTNA), he currently serves as chairperson of the masterclass program for the Pasadena Branch MTAC. He was voted a 2021 "Top Piano Teacher" by Steinway and Sons, and his private students have won awards at the local an international level, performed in Carnegie Hall, and gone on to become music majors.
He regularly serves as a judge and evaluator for exams and competitions and appears frequently as a masterclass clinician. In 2014 he was a visiting faculty member at the FaceArt Academy of Music in Shanghai.
Gaining increasing notoriety as a composer, his 2017 piece "Late October" was a winner of the MTAC "Composers Today" Awards, and his "Three Fantasies" for Solo Piano were released in August 2022 by Theodore Presser Music. Most recently, his six songs on sonnets of William Shakespeare were premiered in 2024 in collaboration with soprano Nina Berman. As a writer, his articles on music , pedagogy, and composition have been featured in The Huffington Post, Clavier, Pianist Magazine, and the California Music Teacher.