Originals

Guillermo Ricardo Matheu was born in Guatemala City, Guatemala on June 10, 1945. He is the great-great-grandson of Spanish composer Manuel De Falla Y Matheu. Ricardo began playing the piano at age 4 and performed his first concert at age 7 in Guatemala City, playing Lecuona’s Malagueña and De Falla Y Matheu’s Ritual Fire Dance, his great-great-grandfather’s composition. Ricardo came to the United States at age 13 where he attended Ridgewood Military Academy in Woodland Hills, CA. He later returned to Guatemala at age 19 where he produced his own television program featuring his piano performances. At age 20 Ricardo moved to Germany to study meat science technology, subsequently developing numerous patents in meat tenderization. In addition to his primary career in the meat industry, Ricardo also continued to work as a professional pianist, performing with some of the most notable musicians of his era. He produced his first album with Liberace’s orchestra in Las Vegas, NV, with Bo Ayers conducting. Ricardo also went on to appear in concert at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis, MN, with Henri Mancini conducting the orchestra. Ricardo also performed with George Liberace, orchestral arranger and brother of famed pianist, Liberace, in Kansas City, MO. In addition to performing with such notable musicians, Ricardo was selected to play for President and First Lady George H.W. and Barbara Bush at the Hay Adams Hotel in Washington, DC. Over the course of his career, Ricardo was also the artist in residence at various Radisson, Marriot and Hilton Hotels in Kansas City (MO), Denver, Minneapolis, and Washington, DC. Ricardo’s career as a professional pianist has offered him the opportunity to perform in Central and South America, Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, Switzerland, and Germany. His repertoire includes over 1,100 songs committed to memory including classical, Latin, and popular music.