"Presented as a premiere: a music full of inward gestures and virtuoso tempi with fantastical solo cadenzas. The Costa Rican violist Edmundo Ramirez conveyed these things intensely in a concertante dialogue with the orchestra... The audience was jubilant." Neues Deutschland, Berlin [David Coleman's "Albeniz Phantasy for Solo Viola & Orchestra"

"...in the Albeniz Phantasy for Viola Solo and Orchestra composed by the thorough conductor the sense of form was most successful, also because Edmundo Ramirez played the solo part with the most beautiful intensity." Berliner Morgenpost

 

A violist with a varied and complex career, Edmundo Ramirez has collaborated with the conductors Pierre Boulez, Kristjan Jarvi and Kent Nagano, and with pianists Mikhail Muntyan and Saleem Abud-Askar. He has performed with the Ensemble Intercontemporaine, Absolute Ensemble, The New York Symphonic Ensemble, Die Deutsches Kammerphilarmonie Bremmen in Germany, The Adelaide Symphony in Australia, The National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica, The National Symphony of Bolivia and The Youth Orchestra of the Americas.

As a recitalist, chamber player, and soloist, Edmundo Ramirez has performed with distinguished orchestras, concert series and festivals around the world. In Latin America he has performed in Rosario Argentina, La Paz Bolivia, in a televised concert with the condutor Kent Nagano in San Pablo Brazil, International Music Festival (credomatic) and the National Theater in San Jose Costa Rica, and the International Festival of Chihuahua and Junio Musical in Xalapa Mexico.

In Asia Ramirez has appeared in several cities in Japan and the China Trust Bank Series in Taipei Taiwan. He has given recitals and played chamber music in European Festivals such as Aix-en Provence and Menton in France, Torino, Bolzano, and Siena in Italy, and the Bremmen and Hamburg Festivals in Germany. In the United States he has made solo appearances at the Bach Festival in Philadelphia, Alice Tully Hall in New York City and by invitation of the composer and conductor Pierre Boulez has played the viola part of "Le Marteau sans Maitrê" at Carnegie Hall at a special performance conducted by Mr. Boulez. Among Jazz and World Music colleagues, he has collaborated with such artists as Paquito de Rivera and Joe Zawinul.

In addition to his performing activities, Edmundo is founder, conductor and concertmaster of Ensamble America of New York City, a string orchestra which promotes both the Latin American and standard classical music repertoire. He is also the founder/concertmaster and Conductor of the Baroque Chamber Orchestra entitled "Veracruz Chauderelle" in Veracruz Mexico.

Edmundo Ramirez began his studies at the Municipal School of Music in Santo Domingo de Heredia and the National Youth Music Program in his native Costa Rica. He continued his studies at the New England Conservatory in Boston with Walter Trampler, at The Juilliard School in New York City with Heidi Castleman, and in Siena Italy at the Academia Musicale Chigiana with Yuri Bashmet. Edmundo is also interested in performance-practice techniques of both Baroque and Renaissance music. He plays the Baroque violin and viola, the viola d'amore and Viola da Gamba. He studied Baroque violin with Cynthia Roberts and Nancy Wilson and Viola da Gamba with Martha McGaugh. In addition, he studies the Hindustani music on the Sitar and the Jarocho Music of Veracruz Mexico and jazz.

In demand as a teacher, Edmundo has given master classes in Asia, Europe, USA and Latin America. Some of these include the Hochschule für Musik Mannheim in Germany, Long Island University in New York and Northern Kentucky University in the USA, Conservatorio Nacional de Musica en Bolivia, Instituto Nacional de Musica and Academia Bach in Costa Rica and the ISMEV in Mexico.

His administrative work includes President and Artistic Director of the Ensamble America Foundation in New York City and formerly as Artistic Administrator of Youth Orchestra of the Americas in Washington D.C. Edmundo lives in New York City (USA), Xalapa (Mexico) and Costa Rica.