BiographyBiographyBorn in the Philippines, Lino Rivera began his piano studies at age six and has since performed as a solo recitalist, concerto soloist, and accompanist on three continents. He has been featured on radio and television broadcasts, notably live concerto performances with the Manila Symphony Orchestra and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra.
In the United States and Europe he has performed with the Annapolis Symphony, the Oakland Civic Orchestra, and premiered new compositions with the Sacramento Symphony. Other appearances include the Kennedy Center (Washington, DC), Davies Symphony Hall (San Francisco), and concerts in Russia, Germany, and Belgium. While in Berlin, Mr. Rivera acted as Antal Dorati's pianist in preparing fora series of concerts for the prevention of nuclear war by the European Symphony Orchestra and the Maryland Chorus (1988).
Mr. Rivera is a winner in many music competitions including the Music Teachers' National Association Competition in Hawaii and the University of Hawaii Concerto Competition. Upon receiving his Master's degree from the University of Hawaii, he was awarded the distinguished Pianist Prize, won first place in the Elizabeth Davis Competition, and coached extensively with the Guarneri String Quartet. His dedication to seldom-performed piano literature resulted in his 1997 doctoral dissertation on the piano transcriptions of great Romantic pianist/composers. His main teachers include Stella Brimo, Edward Shipwright, Anne Koschielny, and Thomas Schumacher. Having completed his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Maryland, Dr. Rivera now resides in the San Francisco Bay Area.
An Assistant Professor in the Performing Arts faculty at St. Mary's College, Moraga, he has also taught at Diablo Valley College, Pleasant Hill, Los Medanos College, and California State University - Sacramento (1994-2001). He actively promotes music by contemporary and local composers. He played the West Coast premiere of Lucrecia Kasilag's Divertimeto for Piano and Orchestra with the Sacramento Symphony, and in 1994 played the world-premiere performance in Sacramento of Enric Zappa's Octahedron. The Zappa collaboration also resulted in a live radio performance and interview in April 1994 at KPFA-FM in Berkeley.
Frequently heard as a choral accompanist through his work with the San Francisco Girls' Chorus, Voci Women's Ensemble, and the Baroque Choral Guild, his sensitivity and polished technique have been lauded by the Bay area press. Mr. Rivera recently joined the staff of the Mt. Diablo Unitarian Universalist Church in Walnut Creek, CA. He has collaborated there with musicians from the San Francisco Symphony Chorus, the Contra Costa Wind Symphony, the Berkeley Lyric Opera, and the San Francisco Chamber Singers. His recent projects include acting as piano soloist for two performances of Beethoven's Choral Fantasy (San Francisco and Walnut Creek), and presenting solo recitals featuring the works of Franz Liszt, Igor Stravinsky, and Franz Schubert. He plays Steinway pianos.