Originally from Cali, Colombia, Carlos Fernandez has nurtured a deep love and passion for piano throughout the years. He began his formal piano studies when he immigrated to Calgary,Canada, studying with Roman Hernandez and Ingrid Mosker. In 2017, he joined the studio of renowned professor Marilyn Engle at the University of Calgary, where he was the recipient of numerous scholarships and awards, and ultimately pursued and earned his Bachelor Degree of Music in Piano Performance with Distinction in 2021.

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​During his years of studies, Carlos was a regular attendee of the Coimbra World Piano Meeting and the Sardoal International Piano Meeting festivals held in Portugal, where he had the chance to participate in public performances, competitions, and masterclasses with world renowned teachers such as Aquiles Delle Vigne, Makoto Ueno, Ikeba Ayami, Emanuel Krasovsky, and Nicholas Pokki, Gerlinda Otto, amongst many others.Beyond solo piano, Carlos has also nurtured a deep appreciation for collaborative music, havingworked with numerous instrumentalists and singers across a wide range of genres such asclassical music, jazz, and tango.

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Furthermore, Carlos has a teaching career of over 7 years. During this time, he has had the opportunity to work with students at all levels of playing, from the absolute beginner to pre-university candidates, successfully preparing them for exams, competitions, festivals, and university entrance auditions. Carlos’ teaching skill set is not limited only to piano, however, and it extends to both theory and history, owing to his strong musicological background.

 

As a teacher, Carlos has deeply invested himself in the study of pedagogy through extensive research of teaching practices and the careful guidance of his professors. Through this process, he has come to understand that a true high level of playing can only result from achieving a deep understanding of not only technique and biomechanics, but also of the music itself and all its relevant context. Furthermore, he fully believes in the latent potential every individual has to realize such mastery and understanding, and views it as not only necessary but also an inevitable outcome of devoted and thoughtful work.

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​Carlos is currently in his second year of the Masters of Music in Piano Performance Program at the University of Toronto under the instruction of professor Lydia Wong.