Manuel Ramos
violin
Manuel Ramos has established himself as one of the most active Mexican musicians of his generation. He has been featured as soloist with orchestra and in recitals in the United States, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Peru, Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil and Chile. He has taken part in chamber music festivals both in the United States and overseas. Ramos is presently on the Missouri Arts Council solo and recitalist touring program. He is also on the roster of musicians representing Mexico in the Concertistas de Bellas Artes and as such presents solo and chamber music concerts in Mexico and abroad.
His varied repertoire includes all the standard works for violin from Bach to Stravinsky. In addition, he has a special affinity for the music of his own country. His love of music from Mexico has roots in the popular music he played as a child with his father and brothers, and he frequently programs works by Rodolfo Halffter, Manuel M. Ponce, Agustin Lara and Armando Manzanero, as well as his own virtuoso arrangements of Mexican folk melodies.
Ramos is presently the concertmaster of the Orquesta Filarmónica de la UNAM in Mexico City. Recently retired from the St. Louis Symphony, his positions in the United States orchestras have included assistant concertmaster of the Pittsburgh and San Diego Symphonies. As a conductor, Ramos has worked with orchestras in Argentina, Mexico and the United States, frequently conducting from the position of violin soloist. On two occasions he won the Manuel M. Ponce Competition in Mexico City and was a prize winner in the Tibor Varga International Violin Competition in Siôn, Switzerland.
Ramos has given master classes in the United States, Mexico and South America. His violin students have been accepted by major music schools in the United States, and many are now working as professional musicians. He was honored by the St. Louis Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in 2013 as a leader in the Arts and by the St. Louis Musicians’ Union Local 2-197 with the Owen Miller Award for service, fairness and contributions to the music profession.