Pianist Gustavo Romero Takes Deep Dive into Chopin at Athenaeum Summer Festival

For 24 years, the Athenaeum in La Jolla has presented Summer Festivals featuring Gustavo Romero performing the complete piano repertoire of a specific composer.

Up this year: Frédéric Chopin, the 19th century master of the Romance period.

The four concert series begins July 7, continuing on Sundays through July 28.

Some of the pieces Romero will play include:

• July 7 – Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat Minor, op. 35 (“Funeral March”) and Ballade No. 4 in F Minor, op. 52 Mazurka, op. 17, no. 4
• July 14 – Prelude in C-sharp Minor, op. 45, Impromptu No. 1 in A-flat Major, op. 29 and Ballade  No. 2 in F Major, op. 38
• July 21 – Polonaise in A Major, op. 40, no. 1 (“Military Polonaise”), Scherzo No. 3 in C-sharp Minor, op. 39 and Sonata No. 3 in B Minor, op. 58
• July 28 – Nocturne in E Major, op. 62, no. 2, Nocturne in B Major, op. 62, no. 1 and Polonaise-Fantasie, op. 6.

Individual concert tickets cost $55 for non-members, with full series passes starting at $212.

Romero, a native San Diegan, with a heritage linked to Guadalajara, first performed at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library as a young boy.

Athenaeum planned its first Summer Festival with the pianist in 1999 for the organization’s 100th anniversary. Each year, Romero chooses composers to study in depth, allowing him to demonstrate the full range of their artistry.

Romero, Juillard-trained, has performed with the world’s leading orchestras, including the New York, Los Angeles, New Japan, Shanghai, Cape Town, and Liège Philharmonics.