Max Barros, pianist and co-artistic director of ERC, has won wide acclaim as one of South America's foremost pianists. Born in California and raised in Brazil, Mr. Barros was presented with the "Soloist of the Year" Award by the São Paulo Music Critics Association. He is also a dedicated champion of Brazilian music, having premiered and recorded several works by the nation's foremost composers. He recorded Amaral Vieira's Piano Quintet with the Ensemble Capriccio and has recorded for Naxos the complete piano concertos by Camargo Guarnieri with conductor Thomas Conlin and the Warsaw Philharmonic, which won a “Discovery” prize from the magazine Diapason in France. Mr. Barros has toured South America with the Virtuosi di Praga and has been a guest artist with the American String Quartet and the St. Luke's Chamber Ensemble.
He is well known for his stylistic and historically informed interpretations, and his extensive research into the performance practice of early keyboard instruments has allowed him to bring fresh insights to his performances on the modern piano. Together with Stephanie Chase he has recorded the complete trios of Boccherini and Stephen Storace on period instruments. In 2008, Mr. Barros made his debut at the Caramoor Festival performing Guarnieri's Concertino for piano and orchestra with the St. Luke's Orchestra under Michael Barrett. He has recently recorded Guarnieri’s complete Ponteios for Naxos and is in the process of recording the composer’s complete solo piano music in six volumes.