Biography
A versatile, classically trained cellist whose trademark is built around the concepts of performance variety and flexibility, he covers a range of musical languages that span from classical to world, Latin, and folk. With an active agenda, he has performed numerous solo recitals, chamber, and orchestral music concerts and as a soloist throughout Africa, Europe, Asia and the Americas. Furthermore, he has been recognized for his entrepreneurship and commitment to the development of the younger generations of musicians.
As an Impeller of new works, he has premiered pieces by composers such as Jorge Figueroa, Jorge Bennett, Darwin Aquino, Dinos Constantinides, and Guido López-Gavilán, among others. In 2012 he created the Ensemblast Project, which fuses the aesthetics of the classic quartet with Latin American styles borrowing freely from an array of musical languages. In 2019 with the support of the University of Panama, Ensemblast Project launched its first discography and is currently working on its second discography.
A visionary of his generation, at the age of 25, Isaac founded the Fundación Sinfonía Concertante Foundation of Panama (FUNSINCOPA). The foundation’s mission has been to create educational music programs for low-income children and youth, including an orchestra system for high-risk children inspired by the El Sistema orchestral program of Venezuela. He is also the Artistic Director and founder of the Alfredo Saint-Malo Music Festival of Panama (ASMF), an annual one-week festival that began on May 25, 2007. It has become one of the most important music festivals in the Central American region. In May 2019, the Festival was recognized by law by the Panamanian Government as an annual national festival. In June 2015, the ASMF received the award “Anita Villalaz,” granted by the Anita Villalaz Panama national cultural award commission.
Recent achievements include an Emmy award in 2021 as part of the production of “River of the Last Valley.” In April 2016, Isaac received an award for his “Cultural Achievements” from the Youth Orchestra of The Americas. In May 2015, he received the prize “Ciudadanos Notables de Panama 2015” (Remarkable Citizens of Panama 2015), granted by Panama’s National Commission of Pro Civic Values and Morals. In 2013, Isaac was honored to participate in the Salzburg Global Seminar to the “Salzburg Global Forum for Young Cultural Leaders II.” In 2012, he received the Hildegard Behrens Foundation Young Artist Humanitarian Award. In the same year, the Junior Chamber International of Panama City awarded Isaac the Outstanding Musician in the Culture category.
His primary teachers have included Karen Melik-Stefanov, Keith Robinson from the Miami String Quartet, Javier Arias from the Amernet String Quartet, Gary Hardy, Andres Diaz, and Denis Parker. He has degrees from Florida International University, Baylor University, and Southern Methodist University, and a Doctoral in Musical Arts degree from Louisiana State University (2015).
Aside from his active agenda as a performer, he continues as Artistic Director of FUNSINCOPA, the Alfredo De Saint Malo Music Festival, and the Miami Philharmonic Artist. Currently, he resides with his family in Miami.