biography
Matias Nestor Cuevas is a Chilean-American pianist whose artistry is defined by emotional depth and a profound commitment to human connection through music.
He earned his Master of Music in Piano Performance from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, where he studied under internationally acclaimed pianist Kevin Kenner. He previously completed his undergraduate studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music with Dr. Daniel Shapiro and received earlier training at the “G. Verdi” Conservatory of Music in Milan, Italy, under Vincenzo Balzani and Silvia Rumi.
Matias is an award-winning pianist whose talent has been recognized across Europe and the United States through a remarkable series of national and international competition victories. He has taken top honors in numerous events, including 1st Prize in the 21st-Century category and 2nd Prize in the Romantic category at the prestigious “Città di Cantù” International Piano and Orchestra Competition in Italy. He also won the Grand Prize at both the “Pozzolino” Piano Competition in Seregno and the “Monterosa-Kawai” Competition in Varallo.
Beyond competitions, Matias’s performances have captivated audiences in some of Europe’s most iconic venues. He was invited to perform on Giovanni Allevi’s Christmas tour with the Italian Symphonic Orchestra, with a standout performance to a sold-out Teatro Colosseo in Turin. He has also appeared at the PianoEchos Festival in Lu, Résonances Musique de Chambre in Le Havre, the Vatican Museums in Rome, and the Krasnogorsk Music Festival in Moscow.
What sets Matias apart is his dedication to reviving the intimacy and spontaneity of 19th-century salon recitals—an approach that transforms each performance into an immersive emotional experience. By breaking down the traditional barriers between audience and performer, he invites listeners into a shared space where expression flows freely and authentically.
For Matias, music is more than performance—it's a form of communication that reaches beyond words. His mission is simple yet powerful: to inspire, to move, and to remind us of our shared humanity through sound.
