Ignacio Gallego, cello
Ignacio Gallego Fernández – Cello
Spanish-American cellist Ignacio Gallego Fernández is a founding member and Education Director of Agarita, San Antonio’s adventurous chamber ensemble dedicated to free performances and boundary-crossing collaborations. With Agarita, he has shared the stage with internationally celebrated artists including the Imani Winds, guitarist Pablo Sáinz Villegas, and cellist Santiago Cañón-Valencia, among others. The ensemble has also developed acclaimed multidisciplinary projects with chefs, poets, dancers, and visual artists, bringing music into dialogue with a wide array of art forms. Through Agarita Inspires, the group’s education initiative, Ignacio has helped provide free concerts and interactive programs to tens of thousands of students across San Antonio.
Beyond Agarita, Ignacio’s career highlights include solo performances with the National Orchestra of El Salvador, a recital at their National Museum of Art, a tour of China with the Youth Orchestra of the Americas, and multiple appearances at Carnegie Hall, including a solo performance during the Hispanic Society of America’s centennial celebration.
A former scholarship recipient of the Spanish government, Ignacio studied at the Manhattan School of Music with Nathaniel Rosen and Marion Feldman, later earning his Master of Music degree as a disciple of Janos Starker and member of the Kuttner Quartet at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. He went on to complete a Performance Diploma there under Eric Kim.
Ignacio performs on a cello labeled Carlo Antonio Testore (1712, Milan) and a bow by Noel Burke.