Regarded as one of the most accomplished and complete musicians of our time, Pablo Márquez takes the guitar to rare levels of expression, combining spontaneity and profound intellectual rigour. The extraordinary extent of his repertoire, which embraces the full historical spectrum from the earliest lute and vihuela publications to the most recent and sophisticated contemporary works – which are often dedicated to him – is unanimously admired. 

His name is always associated with a unique sound, as evidenced by his numerous recordings for ECM and other labels. Each of his registers has become a reference, whatever the repertoire engraved. Awards such as the Grand Prix du Disque Charles Cros or the Japan Record Academy Award bear witness of this, as do the countless reactions from the press.

The New York Times wrote of his sensational 2007 ECM debut – the legendary label's very first classical guitar recording – that “Pablo Márquez is an eloquent advocate of Luys de Narváez's contrapuntal mastery and sense of virtuosity”. His latest opus, “Sehnsuch”t, a Schubert recording with the soprano María Cristina Kiehr released in September 2023, was chosen by Classique News as its record event of the autumn. Die Zeit writes about “Die Nacht”, his recording with cellist Anja Lechner: “Anja Lechner and Pablo Márquez enlight the night with Schubert”. Meanwhile, “El Cuchi bien temperado”, dedicated to the music of his compatriot Gustavo Leguizamón, features among the 100 best recordings (in all genres) of 2015, selected by American journalist Ted Gioia. As for “A joyful brotherhood”, his register with pianist Jan Schultsz dedicated to works for guitar and fortepiano by Giuliani, Hummel and Moscheles, it was described as “An enchanted paradise” by the Süddeutsche Zeitung.

His discography also includes first recordings of works for guitar and orchestra such as Berio’s “Chemins V” (with Dennis Russel Davies and the Orchestra della Svizzera italiana), Luca Francesconi’s “A fuoco” (with Susanna Mälkki and the Ensemble Intercontemporain), Zad Moultaka’s “Hanblecey”a (with Lorraine Vaillancourt and the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne of Montreal) and Javier Torres Maldonado’s “Fénix” by with Maurizio Grandinetti, Jürg Henneberger and the Phoenix Ensemble. A second live-recording of Berio’s “Chemins V” with Jean-Michaël Lavoie and the WDR Sinfonieorchester of Cologne was awarded with the prestigious Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik.

Pablo Márquez studied guitar in Argentina with Jorge Martínez Zárate and Eduardo Fernández. At the age of twenty he unanimously won the Villa-Lobos competition in Rio de Janeiro and the Concours de Radio France in Paris, the most prestigious guitar competition at the time. He then studied conducting with Rodolfo Fischer and Peter Eötvös, and followed the teaching of the legendary pianist György Sebök, who would deeply mark his artistic development.

His career has flourished in more than 40 countries, being acclaimed in the finest concert halls (Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, National Concert Hall in Taipei, Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg...), and at major festivals (Aix-en-Provence, Avignon, Ultraschall in Berlin, San Sebastián, Ticino Musica...), both in recital and in partnership with Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Dino Saluzzi, Anne Gastinel, Mario Caroli and the Quatuor Voce. He appears as a soloist with the Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra, the Bavarian Radio Orchestra, the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie, the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Colombia and the Orquesta de Valencia.

He has worked with some of the greatest composers of our time, such as Luciano Berio, Mauricio Kagel and György Kurtág. On the occasion of Berio's 70th birthday, Pierre Boulez invited him to perform “Sequenza XI” by the Italian composer, a work for which he has become the benchmark performer. With New Music at the heart of his priorities, he has premiered no less than thirty works dedicated to him by composers such as Zad Moultaka, Martin Matalon, Fuminori Tanada, Oscar Strasnoy, Ramón Lazkano or Arthur Kampela.

As a conductor, he founded the KlangMundo Kammerorchester in Basel, an ensemble dedicated to exploring the soundscapes of the world's different cultures, combining music with action in the fields of human rights, ecology and humanitarianism. With this orchestra, he has already recorded Eduardo Falú's Suite Argentina for ECM (forthcoming), with Fabián Cardozo as soloist.

Pablo Márquez is not only a sought-after virtuoso, but also a highly demanded teacher. His class at the Musik-Akademie in Basel is one of the most respected ones and he gives master-classes all around the world. He was awarded a “Chitarra d'oro” in Milan for his video of Ponce's “Folia Variations”, as well as one of a Konex Prize in Buenos Aires in recognition of his entire career.