Sergio Tiempo

Born in Caracas, Venezuela, Sergio Tiempo grew up in a family immersed in music, an environment that profoundly shaped his future path. At the age of three, he began piano lessons with his mother Lyl De Raco, before continuing his studies at the Fondazione per il Pianoforte in Como, where he worked with Dmitri Bashkirov, Fou Tsong, Murray Perahia, and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. 

Since his father, Martín Tiempo, maintained a longstanding friendship with Martha Argerich and Nelson Freire, Sergio Tiempo received further artistic inspiration and guidance from both musicians, who became his significant mentors. Through direct work with Argerich during his teenage years, Tiempo made his highly acclaimed debut at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw at the age of fourteen. With a musical versatility ranging from Beethoven, Chopin, and Prokofiev to Villa-Lobos and Ginastera, he soon achieved international recognition. 

Tiempo has appeared as a guest soloist with major orchestras around the world. Highlights include performances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Berlin Philharmonic, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, the Montreal Symphony, and the Simón Bolívar Orchestra, with which he maintains a close artistic partnership, in addition to with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, where he served as Artist in Residence in 2018. 

Tiempo works with distinguished conductors such as Claudio Abbado, Marin Alsop, Christoph Eschenbach, Myung Whun Chung, Emmanuel Krivine, Leonard Slatkin, Sir Mark Elder, Thierry Fischer, Ken-David Masur, Ludovic Morlot, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Alondra de la Parra, Rafael Payare, Alexander Prior, Michael Tilson Thomas, Xian Zhang. He also performs regularly with his fellow countryman Gustavo Dudamel, with whom he premiered Esteban Benzecry’s Universos Infinitos with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, later performing the work with the New York Philharmonic at Lincoln Center. In 2023, they collaborated on Ginastera’s Piano Concerto No. 1, featured in Tiempo’s debut with the Berlin Philharmonic. 

Tiempo has given solo recitals at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Konzerthaus Vienna, Wigmore Hall, and the Berliner Philharmonie. He has also appeared at the Martha Argerich Festivals in Lugano and Hamburg, performing with partners such as Mischa Maisky, Nelson Freire, and his sister and duo partner Karin Lechner. Additional festival appearances include the Edinburgh International Festival, Klavier Festival Ruhr, George Enescu Festival, Oslo Chamber Music Festival, Warsaw Chopin Festival, Brussels Chopin Days, and Music Days in Lisbon, as well as recital tours across China, Korea, Italy, and South America. 

Tiempo’s earliest recordings include Pictures at an Exhibition by Mussorgsky, Ravel’s Gaspard de la Nuit, and three Chopin Nocturnes for “Martha Argerich Presents” on EMI, produced under the mentorship of Martha Argerich. He later recorded several albums for Deutsche Grammophon with Mischa Maisky and Karin Lechner. Tiempo and Lechner also premiered and recorded Federico Jusid’s Tango Rhapsody for two pianos and orchestra, written especially for them and the RSI Lugano. In 2018, Tiempo released his solo album “Legacy” on the Avanti label, featuring works that reflect his artistic evolution and deep personal connections. His latest recording, “Hommage”, released in 2023, is a tribute to his mother Lyl and to the musicians who have shaped his life and artistry.