Magdiell Antequera, Violin
Pamela and Bob Krupka Chair
Venezuelan violinist Magdiell Antequera started attending the internationally recognized El Sistema music program at the age of 8. El Sistema provided training and performance opportunities in orchestras under the direction of Gustavo Dudamel, Daniel Barenboim and Claudio Abbado. Magdiell has won and received recognition from numerous important competitions, such as the solo competition at the Academia Latinoamericana de Violin, Thursday Musical Competition (Minnesota), Schubert Club Competition, Texas Rising Stars, Rodolfo Lipizer International Violin Competition and others. He has also been a scholar of the Schubert Club Competition and the Virtu Foundation. In 2022, Magdiell completed a professional studies certificate at Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with New York Philharmonic Associate Concertmaster Sheryl Staples. While in New York, he became a member of the Albany Symphony Orchestra, as well as a substitute violinist with the New York Philharmonic.
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The facts:
I was born in Coro, Venezuela, where I attended the internationally acclaimed program El Sistema. I moved to the U.S. when I was a teenager to attend a music program at a boarding school (Shattuck-St. Mary’s) in Faribault, Minnesota. I then moved to many different cities to pursue my bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and professional studies.
What inspired you to become a musician?
I want to say I always knew I wanted to be a musician. But I vividly remember a time when I was invited to come and listen to the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra and Claudio Abbado in an open rehearsal. I remember walking into the hall as the first sounds of Brahms’ Symphony No. 3 filled the hall; it literally gave me goosebumps and, at that moment, I knew I really wanted to do “that.”
What is challenging about playing your instrument?
Every instrument has its own difficulties, but I would say for the violin, it is challenging to cover a lot of the repertoire since there’s so much music out there. But I guess that’s what makes the instrument fun, too.
What are your favorite compositions?
So many to pick from! Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5, Brahms’ Symphony No. 3 and Schubert’s Fantasie for Violin and Piano.
What have you been listening to recently?
A lot of different artists from pop, pop-rock, dance/electronic, R&B and jazz.
Are there other musicians in your immediate family?
My younger brother also plays the violin in El Sistema back in Venezuela.
What do you like to do outside of work?
I love being by the water, whether it’s at the pool or the beach.