BEATRIZ HELGUERA-SNOW, pianist
Born in Mexico City, studied as a child with late pianist Ramon Serratos, and then with Maria Teresa Rodriguez, one of Mexico's finest pianists , at the National Conservatory of Music, where Beatriz graduated obtaining the Concert Pianist Diploma with the highest honors. She also holds a Master Degree in Piano Performance from the Meadows School of the Arts at SMU (Southern Methodist University), where she was a student of Dallas Symphony pianist Alfred Mouledous. She was awarded the Meadows Outstanding Artistic Achievement Scholarship Award and the Eli Epstein B'nai Brith Award.
She played in numerous master classes and workshops for pianists such as Jorg Demus, Paul Badura-Skoda, Jorge Bolet, Angelica Morales and many more; and studied in Aspen Music Festival with Aube Tzerko and Marry Norris. In her native México, she was a soloist with the Fine Arts Chamber Orchestra (Orquesta de Camara de Bellas Artes), State of México Orchestra (Orquesta Sinfónica del Estado de México), Conservatory Orchestra and others and played numerous solo and chamber music recitals in all major recital halls of México city, such as Carlos Chávez Recital Hall of the University of México (UNAM), the Sala Ponce of Palacio de Bellas Artes (Fine Arts Palace), Sala Julián Carrillo (with live recitals- broadcasts for UNAM (University of México) Radio, and others.
Beatriz is an active performer as recitalist and chamber musician and as an accompanist with more than 25 years of experience, playing for university recitals, master classes, workshops, auditions, festivals in venues such as Northwestern University, DePaul University, Northern Illinois, and many others; for numerous orchestra, band and choir High School programs and Music Schools in the Chicago area, and for numerous private violin, viola, cello, clarinet and voice studios.
Beatriz Helguera founded the Chicago Pan-American Ensemble with the ambition of performing the great chamber music repertoire for duets, trios, quartets and quintets in the European tradition, with a blend of music by the great composers of Latin America.
She is also an active teacher for young pianists. She is part of the Piano Faculty at DePaul University School of Music, Community Division and she also holds a busy private piano studio. She was part of the faculty at Betty Haag Suzuki School for almost a decade (also an accompanist for her violin students, individually and for her performing group). She is a member of MTNA (Music Teachers National Association) and CAMTA (Chicago Area Music Teachers Association). She has also being a member of the Faculty at MYA (Midwest Young Artists) for the Summer Young Musicians Chamber Music Program for the last 3 years.
Beatriz and Andrew Snow have 2 children: Elena, a vocal performance student at De Paul University, and Alan who is a violinist and a high school student.