Montserrat Torrent facts for kids
Montserrat Torrent i Serra is a talented Spanish organist who was born on April 17, 1926. An organist is a musician who plays the organ, which is a very large musical instrument. Montserrat Torrent is famous for her amazing skills and for helping people appreciate organ music more.
Contents
Her Life and Music
Early Musical Journey
Montserrat Torrent was born in Barcelona, Spain, in 1926. She started learning music very early, playing the piano with her mother. Her mother was a student of a famous musician named Enrique Granados. Montserrat continued her piano studies with Frank Marshall in Barcelona. She also attended the Conservatorio Superior Municipal de Música de Barcelona, a top music school.
Studying Abroad
Later, Montserrat traveled to París to study the organ with Noëlie Pierront. She received a special scholarship from the Institut Français to help her with her studies. She also studied in Siena, Italy, with other great musicians like Ferdinando Germani and Helmuth Rilling. This was made possible by a grant from the Fundación Juan March.
Teaching and Performing
After her studies, Montserrat Torrent became an organ teacher at the Conservatorio Municipal de Barcelona. She began performing concerts all over the world. She played in Europe, the United States of America, and South America. She wanted to show everyone how wonderful the organ is as a musical instrument.
Helping Organ Music Grow
In 1962, Montserrat started a group called the Organ Friends Association (Associació d'Amics de l'Orgue). Their main goal was to share organ music with more people. They also worked to protect and save old, historic organs in Spain. She also worked with a group called Ars Musicae de Barcelona. This group helped bring back and perform very old Spanish and European music.
Special Awards and Honors
Montserrat Torrent has received many important awards for her contributions to music:
- Grand Prix du Disque "Charles Cros" (1965): This award was for one of her recordings of music by Juan Cabanilles.
- Creu de Sant Jordi (1995): This is a very important award from the Catalan Government in Spain.
- Medalla de Plata del Mérito Artístico de Bellas Artes (1996): This medal recognized her artistic achievements from the Spanish Ministry of Culture.
- Premio Nacional de Música (1996): This is a national music award in Spain.
- Medalla de Oro al Mérito Artístico (1997): The city of Barcelona gave her this gold medal for her artistic merit.
- Medalla del Real Conservatorio de Música de Madrid (2001): She received a medal from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Madrid.
- Medalla del Mérito al Trabajo "Francesc Macià" (2001): This award from the Catalan Government recognized her hard work.
- Doctora Honoris Causa (2008): The Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona gave her this special honorary degree.
Images for kids
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Montserrat Torrent at the Museu de la Música de Barcelona in 2015.
See also
In Spanish: Montserrat Torrent i Serra para niños
