The composer and cellist Andrea Casarrubios (Ávila, 1988) recalls that she was in New York when she composed her work SEVEN in tribute to the pandemic victims. "I spent the critical months of confinement there," says the artist from Chicago, where she currently lives. "The piece ends with seven sounds that emulate the chime of a clock, alluding to the time when, for a moment, we forgot our problems and appreciated the courage and effort of the healthcare workers in those difficult times." Four years later, that same piece for solo cello opens - and also serves as the title - to Casarrubios' second album, for which she has been nominated for a Grammy award.
Never before had a Spanish classical music composer aspired to such an award. "It has been a total surprise, one of those dreams that seem unattainable, but that come true and fill you with joy," confesses Casarrubios, who will compete for the recognition in the Best Classical Composition category during the ceremony to be held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on February 2 (early morning of the 3rd in Spain). "After performing SEVEN on stages around the world, this nomination seems like the perfect ending to a long journey that has allowed me to learn, continue growing as a performer, and cement my own style."
This style was praised by the New York Times for its ability to address a wide range of emotions and explains her extraordinary frequency as a composer at the prestigious Carnegie Hall, where her music has been programmed more than twenty times. "I started from scratch, through auditions and knocking on doors when no one knew me," confesses Casarrubios, whose catalog of works (now around thirty) has also been heard in Spain, Mexico, Israel, Singapore, or Belgium. "I am currently working on a commission from the Juilliard School in collaboration with the great poet Amanda Gorman for the 250th anniversary of the United States of America."
Andrea Casarrubios was born in San Esteban del Valle, a "magical little village" in the region of Valle del Tiétar in Ávila. "Although I spend my days in waiting rooms and from airport to airport, I feel a very strong connection to the rural, and that link with my origins allows me to keep my feet firmly on the ground," says the performer and composer. "I have had incredible experiences, but above all, I value the simple life." She attributes her early vocation to the enthusiasm of the teachers at the pilot school where she trained in Arenas de San Pedro. "My parents were not musicians, but they always understood that learning an instrument greatly stimulates sensitivity."
Some of the first pieces she composed, still a child, have been lost. "I especially liked improvising based on Chopin or Mozart scores. But it wasn't until I turned 15 that I started putting on paper the sounds I heard in my head." She was fortunate to have excellent teachers (mentioning composer María Escribano and cellists Lluís Claret and Maria de Macebo), who encouraged her to make the leap across the Atlantic through various university scholarships (at Johns Hopkins and Southern California) and later pursue a doctorate in New York, where she met the great John Corigliano, an Oscar winner for the soundtrack of The Red Violin, who has been one of her great supporters since then.
"At that time, I applied for all the awards and competitions I could," she recalls. "What I won, I reinvested in my education, because although my family has always supported me, they could not finance my life abroad." In the end, Casarrubios reaped the rewards: "One day I was called for a concert at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing, another day I was invited to participate in the Vervier Festival in Switzerland, or I was offered to teach a class at the Juilliard School in New York." However, every time she had to lock herself away to write, she preferred Spain: "Although for me, there is nothing better than reuniting with family and friends in San Esteban del Valle, I have found in Madrid a perfect base of operations that allows me to disconnect from the noise without being far from everything."
Like her previous album, Caminante, which she composed based on poems by Antonio Manchado, SEVEN has been released by the label Odradek Records, which selects its artists based on strict quality criteria through a blind and anonymous evaluation process. "Whatever happens at the Grammy ceremony, I am extremely grateful for this year, which has allowed me to showcase my work in the best concert halls in the world, where I have shared unforgettable experiences with top-level artists," celebrates Casarrubios, who has just completed her first Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, which she will premiere herself in April, leading the Charlotte Symphony with conductor Christopher James Lees. "It will be another great moment to remember."