Ivan Torres

A native of Barcelona, Spain, Ivan Torres began his musical education at the Conservatorio Superior de Música del Liceo. He was the first Spanish cellist to be awarded full scholarship to further his  studies at London’s Royal College of Music, where he completed his Bachelor of Music with Honours and Postgraduate Diploma in cello performance  with Distinction under the tutelage of Alexander Boyarsky and Leonid Gorokhov. He also studied at the Hochshule für Kunste de Bremen with Alexander Baillie. He has participated in masterclasses with Timothy Hugh, Steven Doane, Patrick Demenga, Natalia Gutman, Lluis Claret, Li-Wei Qin,  Johannes Moser and Daniel Müller-Schott and has attended chamber music courses with the Bartók, Endellion, and Artemis string quartets, as well as the Oslo and Solomon piano trios.

While in the UK, Ivan was awarded the Anna Shuttleworth and Kit & Lambert prizes, and has been granted numerous honours from Spanish institutions such as the Ministry of Education, Generalitat de Catalunya, and Fundación Pau Casals. As well, he  has performed at prestigious international festivals IMS Prussia Cove (UK), Berneville-Carteret (France), and Weikersheim Jeunesses Musicals (Germany). In 2000, he toured several countries as principal cellist of the Jeunesses Musicales World Youth Orchestra.

Ivan Torres has collaborated with all of Spain’s leading symphony orchestras including Orquesta Sinfónica de Galícia, Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife,  Orquesta de la Comunidad Valenciana and the Orquesta Sinfónica de Barcelona y Cataluña. He has  performed under renowned conductors such as Lorin Maazel, Zubin Mehta, and Daniele Gatti.

After several years as cello and chamber music professor at Barcelona’s Conservatorio del Liceu and as founding member of the Melitango Quintet, he moved to Malaysia with his wife and daughter in 2008. He has been invited as jury member in international competitions such as the PGVIEC Princess Galyani Vadhana (Thailand) and Euroasia String Competition.

A passionate teacher, Ivan has given masterclasses in Malaysian univeristies and academies such as Talent Makers, Permata Seni Music, Genius Seni Musik, and Allegro Music Arts. His students have won numerous prizes at the MYOF Festival, Euroasia, and prestigious scholarships for study abroad.

Ivan has recorded extensively for radio and television both in Spain and abroad, and was featured regularly in the popular Happy Hour series at Dewan Filharmonik Petronas. He has performed with violinist Kyung Sun Lee and pianist Avo Kouyoumdjian in Thailand and given recitals at the Johor International Music Festival with pianist Mireia Frutos.

In April 2023, Ivan performed recitals with pianist and composer Tito García Gonzalez in Malaga and Madrid, giving world premieres of several pieces by Spanish composers in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Pablo Picasso’s death. As a  versatile and multifaceted musician, Ivan Torres enjoys the art of improvisation and featuring the cello’s distinct voice in diverse styles.

Shopping Cart