We have among us an extraordinarily talented and versatile young pianist and singer, Carlos Alberto Ibay.
Carlos blind since birth, is equally at ease performing the Tchaikovsky B-flat Piano Concerto, improvising on
Tatum's’ Humoresque, singing a Caruso aria or a Latin love song. After his memorable performance at Liz
Smith’s 80th birthday party, she wrote in her New York Post column “Carlos Ibay … blew us away!” With his
unique talent to perform many genres of music exceedingly well, he moves naturally between popular and
classical repertoire. Throughout the world, he has been enthusiastically received by all who have heard him.
At age 28, gifted with a rich tenor voice and fluent in seven languages, Carlos vocal repertoire ranges from
the great American standards to international art songs including Spanish, French, Italian and his native
Philippines. While he has a particular fondness for including selections from Caruso's repertoire in his
concerts, he also enjoys performing the music of the Gershwins.
Carlos began playing the piano at age two. His unusual natural talent, absolute pitch and love for sharing
his gift with others brought him to the performance stage at age nine. During these past fifteen years he
has continued to build his repertoire which now includes many of the large scale piano works which he
learns by listening repeatedly to the piece rather than learning it by Braille. Once he has comprehended the
composition, he is able to perform it with amazing virtuosity despite not being able to see the keyboard or
the notation. This of course, he knew well can be only achieved by the Grace of God. A talent no matter
how extraordinary, needed someone to guide it in the right path. Mr. Thomas Schumacher, then at the
University of Maryland took Carlos since he was 9 years old, long before he could stretch his hands to a full
octave, taught him the skills and the artistry on keyboard that made him a respectable musician. Carlos still
continues to seek the expertise of his old teacher and when time permits visits him in his studio in Rochester,
New York for a lesson.
The year 2000 marked the beginning of his International career when he was invited to perform at the
opening of the Rachmaninoff Center Hall in Novgorod, Russia, birthplace of the composer. Invited twice to
Brazil, he performed a concert for two pianos of works by Saint-Saens and Tchaikovsky with noted Brazilian
pianist Virginia Hogan and The Bessler Quartet. Carlos was the only American pianist chosen to compete
with nine other pianists in 2004’s Joaquin Rodrigo International Piano Competition in Madrid. The judges
presented him with a special award and he was invited to the composers home to perform for the Rodrigo
family members. This was preceded by a very successful concert tour in the Philippines in which
included a debut recital solo concert at the Cultural Center of the Philippines' main theatre, performing for
an audience of more than a thousand and at the historic Quirino Grandstand with the Philippine’s President
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in attendance.
In May 2004 he made a guest appearance with his local community orchestra outside of Washington D.C.,
performing the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 to rave reviews. That same year, he appeared as a guest
at EWTN's "Life On The Rock." He concluded the year 2004 with a successful concerts in Phoenix, Arizona
and three successive nights of performances in Los Angeles.
The year 2005 marked another milestone. He was actually in a foreign soil on New Year’s Eve. This time, in
Australia where he performed three city concerts in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney, January of 2005. His
wit and music captured the hearts of the Australians and on his concluding performance in Sydney, was
awarded a pair of Koala and Kangaroo dolls as an honorary Aussie. In October of that year, another debut
concert at New York’s Weil Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall put his career to new heights. This was followed by a
returned engagement in Phoenix, Arizona. Five days before Christmas, he flew to Manila to appear in a two
hour television special hosted by Cecille Guidote Alvarez, Executive Director of National Commission on
Cultural Arts of the Philippines. The tape was aired on Christmas and New Year’s Day where Carlos
performed along with the talented pageantry of young Filipino artists and the 15 year old violin prodigy,
Chino Guttierez. Another returned engagement followed down under the Pacific Rim where the Australians
were ever ready for his January 2006 return. They gave him a much bigger venue and a sold out
performance in Sydney. Before heading back to USA, he flew back to Manila to pair with Canadian based
Filipina Soprano Lilac Cana for a January 26 concert at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. The concert
was a success considering Carlos and Lilac never met before and only spent three hours, one day before
the performance to blend the chemistry of their talent.
The demanding challenges of life caused by blindness have hardly discouraged this vivacious young
performer. He continues to build an ever increasing number of devoted followers who recognize his
exceptional talent. Whether the venue be concert or cabaret or be it popular or improvisatory, Carlos’
charisma, wit and the infectious joy imparted through his music make him one of the most unusual and
sought after young performers today.
©2006 St.Caecilia Music
All Rights Reserved
