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Winner of Parkening International Competition Returned to Pepperdine 

Pablo Sáinz Villegas, recent Gold Medalist of the inaugural Parkening International Guitar Competition, returned to Pepperdine for the first performance in the 2006-07 Stotsenberg Recital Series on Oct. 1 at Raitt Recital Hall on the University's Malibu campus.

A 29-year-old native of Spain, Sáinz Villegas won the Parkening Competition’s Stotsenberg Prize of $25,000 as well as a professionally managed performance tour of recitals and concerts with orchestra. The competition was held at Pepperdine from May 30 through June 2, 2006.

Sáinz Villegas has been a soloist with the Canberra Symphony Orchestra, the New York Virtuosi Chamber Symphony, Orchestra I Pomeriggi Musicali, and Orquesta de Radio Televisión Española. The recipient of 25 international awards, including the “Andrés Segovia” Award, he has participated in international festivals in Brazil, Granada, and Strasbourg.

Sáinz Villegas has worked with prominent composers including George Crumb, Cristóbal Halffter, and Helmut Lachenmann. He has performed in 21 countries on various stages, from New York’s Carnegie Hall to Milan’s Sala Verdi, and has given master classes at many universities, including the Royal College of Music in London and Australian National University. He is currently a student of David Starobin at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City.

Now in its fourteenth season, the Stotsenberg Recital Series is funded by Dorothy D. Stotsenberg of Malibu.