Henry Goldberg and I met at the Canford/Sherborne Summer School for composers in 2002.

I was just beginning my second bachelor’s degree at the Guildhall, and Henry was a keen amateur composer already in his mid-sixties. He was looking for a composition teacher who could help him develop his analytical and compositional skills, and Malcolm Singer, who was leading the course, paired us up.

I was rather struggling financially at the time, and Henry was always extraordinarily kind and generous to me. We would meet at his flat in St John’s Wood at around five in the afternoon. The evening would begin with coffee and a relaxed chat: what music he had been listening to, a concert that had caught his attention. He would also ask about me — how things were going at college, at my other jobs, and with the family.

Then we would move into his studio and work for two, sometimes two and a half hours: looking at and analysing scores, going through harmony and counterpoint exercises, discussing principles of orchestration, or working on his own compositions. We would get carried away by that particular passion and delight two people share when they give themselves over completely to the study of something they both love: music.

At some point we would pause, raise our eyes from the scores and the keyboard, and realise that seven thirty, or eight o’clock had struck. Henry would then say, with great satisfaction: “It’s rather late. Let me buy you dinner and a glass of wine at Côte!”

And the conversation about whatever music we had been working on would simply continue as we put on our coats and headed to the restaurant.

It is not difficult to imagine that, over time, that relationship grew into a real friendship. When I could no longer teach him regularly, we continued to see one another several times a year — to wine and dine, catch up, and talk about music and life. He became a mentor, but also a companion through life, helping me cope at times when I simply could not make sense of some of the things life kept throwing at me.

Once I moved to Spain in 2020, we remained in touch. He came to Porto to spend a few days with me while I was teaching at PianoFest. He then even came to Madrid in 2023 to see me after my wife, Marta, died, and we had a tremendous time together.

As his sight and health deteriorated, direct contact became tricky. A number of emails and messages went unanswered, but mutual friends continued to keep each of us informed about how the other was doing.

I had meant to phone him these last days of the Summer, knowing that he was declining. But he left us before I had the chance to say goodbye.

Fare thee well, Henry — you passionate, immensely generous, funny, and sometimes bloody stubborn old friend. And yet extraordinarily steadfast, immovable and determined in your care, devotion and kindness towards those you held dear.

I will miss you dearly, old boy.

http://henrypiano.com/index.html

Season ends after Composer-in-residence participation at Gijón International Piano Festival

Closing a remarkable 2025–26 season — one that has brought new commissions, premieres, performances and some very special artistic encounters.

Three new works entered the world this year:

• VISITACION[e]S — commissioned and premiered by the Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de España / David Afkham / Jone Martínez, Auditorio Nacional, Madrid

• Wells of Oblivion — commissioned and premiered by the Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife / Ariane Matiakh

• Campanes al Vespre — commissioned by Paloma O’Shea and premiered by Felix Kehr at Centro Botín, Encuentro de Música y Academia de Santander

Alongside them, existing pieces continued to expand their own performance lives: The Styx in Oviedo with Lucas Macías (cond.); my string quartet The Labyrinth at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes (4Sonora); Imatges at the Orléans International Piano Competition in Frankfurt (Dasom Woo), Santander (Felix Kehr) and Gijón (Campbell Helton); Nocturnes in Bergamo (Achrome Ensemble); Shpigl in Madrid and Bern (Edward Kollert and Hyeonyeong Jang); and Campanes al Vespre already travelling on to Coburg, Gijón and Candás (Saeyoon Chon, Zihan Li).

The season ended with Òscar’s 10th consecutive Porto PianoFest and a return as Composer-in-Residence to the Gijón International Piano Festival, reflecting during a lecture-recital on the development of his music over the last 25 years, amongst teaching and concerts.

2025-26 Season Calendar

• 28–30 Nov 2025 · Madrid — World premiere of VISITACION[e]S, commissioned by the Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de España; Jone Martínez, soprano; David Afkham, conductor; Auditorio Nacional.
• 11 Dec 2025 · Oviedo — The Styx performed by Oviedo Filarmonía; Lucas Macías, conductor.
• 2 Feb 2026 · Madrid — Performance of The Labyrinth at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando; 4Sonora.
• 12 Apr 2026 · Frankfurt — Dasom Woo performs Imatges at the Orléans International Piano Competition.
• 17 Apr 2026 · Tenerife — World premiere of Wells of Oblivion, commissioned by the Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife, conducted by Ariane Matiakh.
• 24 Apr 2026 · Guadassuar — Guest at Tertúlies Musicals de la Ribera, with accompanying À Punt Radio interview.
• 9 May 2026 · Bergamo — Italian premiere of music from Nocturnes by ACHROME Ensemble, Sala Piatti.
• 1 Jun 2026 · Madrid — Eduard Kollert performs Shpigl, Auditorio Sony.
• 11 Jun 2026 · Bern — Hyeonyeong Jang performs Shpigl, Hochschule der Künste Bern.
• 18–19 Jul 2026 · Palau de la Música · CIBM “Ciutat de València” · International Jury
  First & Honorary Divisions
• 20 Jul 2026 · Santander — World premiere of Campanes al Vespre, commissioned by Paloma O’Shea; Felix Kehr, piano; Centro Botín / Encuentro de Música y Academia.
• 7 Aug 2026 · Coburg — Saeyoon Chon performs Campanes al Vespre, Schloss Hafenpreppach.
• August 2026 · Porto PianoFest, teaching and lecture on Brahms Op.118 No.2.
• August 2026 · Composer-in-Residence, Gijón International Piano Festival, including performances of Campanes al Vespre in Gijón and Candás, Imatges and Piano Variations in Gijón; and a lecture-recital Memory · Space · Immanence, looking back over 25 years of composing.

The festival will feature performances of Campanes al Vespre alongside a new seminar exploring the evolution of the composer’s musical language over the past twenty-five years.

Òscar returns to the Gijón International Piano Festival this August as Composer-in-Residence.

A long-standing collaborator of the festival, Colomina will combine his compositional and pedagogical work with a series of performances, public events and educational activities, reaffirming the festival’s commitment to contemporary creation and artistic dialogue.

The related concerts of the residency begins on 7 August with a performance of Campanes al Vespre by Saeyoon Chon during his Artist-in-Residence recital at Schloss Hafenpreppach in Coburg, Germany. The work will then travel to Gijón, where Chon will perform it again as part of the Festival Marathon at the Kiosko del Paseo de Begoña on the 10th of August and, on the 14th, in the festival’s regional concert at the Antigua Fábrica de Conservas Ortiz in Candás.

Commissioned by Paloma O’Shea and premiered at Centro Botín in July 2026, Campanes al Vespre has rapidly begun its performing life through a sequence of international appearances, with Saeyoon Chon introducing the work to audiences in Germany and Spain.

On 15 August, Òscar will also present a Lecture-recital devoted to the evolution of his compositional language over the past twenty-five years. Through a selection of works spanning from his earliest compositions to his most recent orchestral and chamber music, the session will explore the gradual emergence of recurring artistic concerns—including memory, transformation, resonance, musical space and the dialogue between structure and intuition—and how these have developed into an increasingly recognisable personal voice.

Rather than tracing a chronological catalogue of works, the seminar invites participants to follow the continuity of ideas that connect different periods of the composer’s output, offering performers and audiences alike an insight into the creative process behind a body of work that now extends across solo, chamber, vocal and orchestral music.

Founded in 2002, the Gijón International Piano Festival has become one of Spain’s leading piano festivals, bringing together internationally renowned artists, young pianists and distinguished pedagogues in an environment where performance, education and artistic exchange are inseparable. Its twenty-fifth anniversary edition celebrates a quarter of a century of fostering excellence while maintaining a strong commitment to contemporary music and new generations of performers.

More information

Gijón International Piano Festival
https://gijonpiano.com/en/

About the Festival
https://gijonpiano.com/quienes-somos/

Festival Programme
https://gijonpiano.com/en/program/

Festival Events
https://gijonpiano.com/en/events/

The Centro Nacional de Difusión Musical new commission will be premiered by Trío Penderecki (Leticia Moreno, Claudio Bohórquez and ?ukasz Krupi?ski).

The premiere will take place on 15 March 2027 at the Auditorio 400 of the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid, within the CNDM’s 2026-27 Season. The work will be performed by Trío Penderecki, formed by Leticia Moreno, violin; Claudio Bohórquez, cello; and ?ukasz Krupi?ski piano.

The concert is part of Leticia Moreno’s activities as artist-in-residence at the CNDM during the 2026-27 season. Her residency includes five projects across different formats and repertoires, reflecting what the CNDM describes as her broad artistic range and her commitment to contemporary creation.

Colomina i Bosch’s new work will appear in a programme built around musical memory, transformation and resonance, alongside pieces by Krzysztof Penderecki, Arvo Pärt, Nino Rota, Fazıl Say and Rodión Shchedrín.

The commission deepens Colomina i Bosch’s relationship with the CNDM, which has previously included performances and commissions such as A Silent Geography and Nocturnes for piano trio, which were given their Spanish premiere by Trío Arbós in the Auditorio 400. It also marks a new chapter in his recent chamber music activity, following performances of Nocturnes at the Liszt Academy in Budapest and by ACHROME Ensemble in Bergamo, and the continuing international presence of his solo piano cycle Imatges.

The CNDM 2026-27 season, presented in Madrid, includes 258 activities, 202 concerts, 53 world premieres and 20 commissions by the institution, reaffirming its commitment to contemporary creation, the recovery of musical heritage and artistic dialogue across Spain and beyond.

More information:

CNDM 2026-27 season advance
https://cndm.inaem.gob.es/sites/default/files/2026-06/Avance26-27.pdf

CNDM 2026-27 key dates
https://cndm.inaem.gob.es/node/23765

Beckmesser — CNDM 2026-27 season presentation
https://www.beckmesser.com/cndm-presenta-temporada-2026-27/

Òscar’s new piano miniature, commissioned by Paloma O’Shea, will be premiered by Felix Kehr during the XXV Encuentro de Música y Academia de Santander

On 20 July 2026, pianist Felix Kehr will give the world premiere of Òscar’s new solo piano work Campanes al Vespre at Centro Botín, Santander.

Commissioned by Paloma O’Shea, the piece will be presented as part of the XXV Encuentro de Música y Academia de Santander, in a concert dedicated to György Kurtág on the occasion of his 100th birthday. The programme brings together music by Schubert, Kurtág and Ligeti, alongside Colomina i Bosch’s new work and Platja i nit. Albà, the second piece from his piano cycle Imatges.

Written in 2026, Campanes al Vespre is shaped by Òscar’s long-standing fascination with the sound and symbolism of bells. Drawing on recurring gestures, the piece transforms bell-like resonances into a meditation on Madrid in the late winter evenings, when the city’s acoustic world takes on a particularly reflective quality.

Through resonance, register and carefully spaced chords, the piano writing creates a sound world that is at once tender, urgent and contemplative. The decay of sound becomes an expressive force in its own right, opening acoustic spaces for the listener to inhabit, connected by thresholds of dissolution and remembrance.

The work follows the tradition of intimate, evocative piano miniatures explored by Mediterranean composers such as Manuel Palau, Xavier Montsalvatge and, particularly, Frederic Mompou, where spacing, silence and poetic gesture create, with great economy, a deep and rich emotional universe.

The recital will be preceded by a brief introduction by Luis Fernando Pérez and Márta Gulyás, artistic co-directors of the Encuentro, together with Òscar. They will present the figure of György Kurtág and discuss his connection with the other composers featured in the programme.

More information:
Centro Botín
https://www.centrobotin.org/actividad/encuentro-musica-y-academia-homenaje-a-gyorgy-kurtag-en-su-100-o-cumpleanos/

His yearly lecture, From Analysis to Interpretation, will focus on Brahms’s Intermezzo Op. 118 No. 2

Òscar returns to Porto Pianofest in August 2026, marking his tenth consecutive appearance at the festival as member of the artist faculty.

His conference, From Analysis to Interpretation, will take place on Monday 10th of August at 11:00, at the Conservatório de Música do Porto, as part of Porto Pianofest’s 2026 programme of conferences and masterclasses.

This year’s lecture will focus on Brahms’s Intermezzo in A major, Op. 118 No. 2, one of the composer’s most intimate late piano works. Through a close reading of the piece, Òscar will explore how musical analysis can become an active tool for interpretation: not as a theoretical exercise, but as a way of deepening phrasing, colour, timing, structure and as a tool to discover individual expressive intention in performance.

Òscar’s long-standing relationship with Porto Pianofest has developed over the past decade through public lectures, analysis sessions, teaching young pianists and contributions to the festival’s pedagogical environment.

His annual presence at the festival reflects a continued commitment to the dialogue between composition, interpretation and artistic imagination.

More information:
Porto Pianofest 2026 Events
https://www.portopianofest.com/en/2026-events