REVIEWS
“Playing the First Piano score on a brand-new Grotrian-Steinweg …Ms. Santamaria was simply superb as she displayed enormous strength and stamina not to be expected from such a lovely and utterly-feminine woman; astounding technique and impressive musicality as she did the First Piano scores of two magnificent German concertos: Ludwig van Beethoven's classical "Concerto No. 5 in E Flat Major Op. 73 (Emperor)" and Robert Schumann's romantic "Concerto in A Minor, Op. 54" with young (27-year- old) Jonathan Arevalo Coo also among our talented and accomplished pianists, doing the Second Piano scores.”
Manila Bulletin, May 23, 2002
“Homegrown concert pianist Ingrid Sala Santamaria enthralled her proud paisanos during the concert with Reynaldo G. Reyes dubbed "A Romantic Piano Concerto Journey" at the Marcelo B. Fernan Cebu Press Center early this month. The music-loving Cebuanos gave them a thunderous applause at the end of Rachma-ninov’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30 where Ingrid played the soloist part and Reynaldo did the orchestra part on the 2nd piano. It was a rare musical treat!”
Manila Bulletin, August 10, 2005
“Tschaikovsky’s Concert No. 1 in B Flat Minor – the composer’s first masterpiece – is definitely for the virtuoso and Santamaria showed she was one in the technically daunting composition with its tremendous opening chords covering the entire keyboard, its torrential swift runs, arpeggios and massive chords throughout. Further, her deepened artistry conveyed richer tonal hues with even more subtle nuance.”
Philippine Star, January 21, 2009
“Ingrid Santamaria played Buencamino’s “Mayon Fantasy,” dramatically etching the contrast between the volcano in its tranquil state, with the farmfolk engaging in festivities and the volcano erupting in fury, then resuming its calm, Santamaria eloquently delineated the two states while demonstrating intense power to depict the raging volcano.”
Philippine Star, April 8, 2009
“In Rachmaninoff’s concerto, Santamaria delineated with clarity, singular power and moving eloquence what musicologists describe as the composer’s “mastery of formal structure, variety and range of lyrical expressiveness, and harmonious beauty of surprising sentiment.” The pianist’s technique, assured and unerring, was combined with emotional depth which was particularly relayed in the melody used for “Full Moon and Empty Arms.” She conveyed the composer’s barbaric splendor and ineffable beauty. Thus one felt thunder and lightning, saw glimpses of the rising sun, and heard quivering songs of birds on the wing.”
Philippine Star, November 11, 2009