Tomás
VegaSalinas
A pianist from Mexico City asking which Schubert we have, in fact, decided to keep.
— The New York Times, Oct 2024
About
A pianist who writes about what he plays.
Born in Mexico City in 2001. Curtis '24, Carnegie debut '24, Géza Anda first prize '25. The journal opens at the bottom of the page.
Tomás Vega-Salinas began at the Conservatorio Nacional de Música in Mexico City, studying with Carlos Adriel Salmerón. He moved to Philadelphia in 2018 to enter the Curtis Institute of Music, studying with Jonathan Biss and, in his final two years, with Robert McDonald. He graduated in May 2024.
The Carnegie Hall recital debut came that October — the late Schubert sonatas D. 959 and D. 960 paired with Liszt's Vallée d'Obermann and a new commission from Gabriela Ortiz. The recital was issued by Deutsche Grammophon's DG Stage in November 2025; the New York Times called it "the most quietly persuasive Schubert recital this season."
There is a Schubert problem in this country, which is that we have stopped asking why we play him. I don't know the answer. I am trying to find it on the page.
In 2025 he won first prize at the Concours Géza Anda Zürich, the audience prize, and the prize for best performance of a contemporary work (the Ortiz). The same year he received the Avery Fisher Career Grant.
He writes a regular column for Pianista (Mexico) and an irregular newsletter, Adagio Sostenuto, on practice, repertoire, and what young pianists are reading. The column is below.
Programme
2025—26 recital, with notes.
The full season programme. Personal notes accompany each work — usually short, occasionally argumentative. Programme PDFs available to presenters.
- 01 Franz Schubert Sonata in B-flat, D. 960 The last Schubert sonata, finished two months before he died. I play it without the second-movement repeat — I think it is the longest twenty minutes of music a young pianist has ever been asked to commit to. 42'
- 02 Franz Liszt Vallée d'Obermann (S. 160 No. 6) From the first Années de pèlerinage. It belongs in the same room as the Schubert: both works are, in different ways, about how a man tries to leave his own thoughts behind. 14'
- 03 Gabriela Ortiz Preludio y Estudio No. 4 — "Para Tomás" Commissioned for the Carnegie debut; world premiere October 2024. Ortiz built it on the rhythmic skeleton of a Veracruz son jarocho. It sits a half-step away from Liszt and won't apologise for it. 11'
- 04 Robert Schumann Fantasie in C, Op. 17 An alternate second-half option, programmed when the Liszt is removed. Dedicated to Liszt anyway, which I think he wrote with mixed feelings. 31'
Journal
From Adagio Sostenuto, the newsletter.
Practice notes, repertoire essays, and the occasional argument. Roughly one piece a month. Subscribe at the foot of the page.
Why I have stopped playing the Hammerklavier.
An essay on what it means to refuse a piece you have spent six years preparing — and the pianists who taught me that refusal can be a form of love.
PracticeA short defence of slow practice.
I keep a notebook with one sentence on every page. The notebook fills four times faster than the practice room. That has to mean something.
MexicoManuel Ponce did not write a sad music.
On hearing the second piano sonata the way Carlos Salmerón taught me to hear it: as a kind of thanksgiving. Plus a Curtis recital programme.
NoteA correction about Schubert and the second-movement repeat.
I was wrong in last month's column. Charles Rosen was right. I am taking the repeat back. An apology and a footnote.
Reading listWhat young pianists are reading this summer.
Six titles passed around the Curtis practice rooms this season. Includes a surprising amount of Calvino and one Edward Said.
Composer interviewGabriela Ortiz on the son jarocho at the heart of the Estudio.
A short interview ahead of the Carnegie premiere. We talk about Veracruz, about Liszt, and about why she still hand-writes everything.
Concerts
Forthcoming, 2025–26
Selected dates. For full season listings, festival programming, and re-engagement enquiries: [email protected]
- 04 NOV 2025 LondonWigmore Hall Schubert · D. 960 & Liszt · Vallée d'Obermann Tickets →
- 22 NOV 2025 Mexico CitySala Nezahualcóyotl, UNAM Recital — Schubert / Ortiz / LisztHometown debut Tickets →
- 11 DEC 2025 BerlinPierre Boulez Saal Recital with Anna ProhaskaSchubert lieder & piano works Tickets →
- 23 JAN 2026 ZürichTonhalle Beethoven · Op. 73 "Emperor"Tonhalle-Orchester · Paavo Järvi Tickets →
- 14 FEB 2026 PhiladelphiaCurtis Institute · Field Concert Hall Curtis Alumni Recital — full programmeFree admission Reserve →
- 07 MAR 2026 New YorkCarnegie Hall, Zankel Schumann · Op. 17 — late-night recitalLate series, 22:00 Tickets →
- 12 OCT 2024 New YorkCarnegie Hall, Stern Auditorium Carnegie debut · Schubert / Liszt / OrtizReleased DG Stage, Nov 2025 Past · Recording
- 29 JUN 2025 ZürichConcours Géza Anda — finals 1st Prize · Audience Prize · Contemporary Prize Past
Recordings
Selected discography
- 2025 Live from Carnegie Hall Recital debut, October 2024. Schubert D. 960 · Liszt Vallée d'Obermann · Ortiz Para Tomás. Released on DG Stage, November 2025. DG Stage
- 2026 Schubert · The Late Sonatas (in preparation) D. 958, D. 959, D. 960. Recording April 2026 at Teldex Studio, Berlin. Studio debut on Deutsche Grammophon. Release autumn 2026. DG · forthcoming
- 2023 Mexican Pianism — Ponce, Revueltas, Ortiz Curtis recording series. Manuel Ponce Sonata No. 2 paired with Revueltas's Allegro and three Ortiz preludes. Latin Grammy nominee, 2024. Curtis 16
Contact
Three inboxes. Plain text.
Email is the fastest route. Replies typically within five working days from IMG Artists in New York.
General
[email protected]Festival enquiries, masterclass requests, journal correspondence, and everything else.
Booking
[email protected]Concert engagements, tour proposals, re-engagements. Routed via IMG Artists, New York.