“Sovereign legato” and an “infinite palette of colours and nuances.”—ResMusica

Born in Málaga in 2006, Álvaro Lozano Cames has received the Fourth Prize and the RTBF Special Award at the 2026 Queen Elisabeth Competition. He currently studies at the Reina Sofía School of Music in Madrid under professors Jens Peter Maintz and Fernando Arias. He began his violoncello studies at the age of eight with Carmen Mª Elena and Sabrina Rui, later expanding his training with Pavel Gomziakov at the Barenboim-Said Foundation in Seville, as well as with Asier Polo.

Álvaro has performed as a soloist with prestigious orchestras such as the Belgian National Orchestra, the Spanish Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra (RTVE), Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Kölner Kammerorchester, Real Orquesta Sinfónica de Sevilla, Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, and the Málaga Philharmonic Orchestra. He has worked under the baton of renowned conductors including Anthony Hermus, Christoph Poppen, Shiyeon Sung, Vahan Mardirossian, Josep Planells, and Edmon Levon.

Among the prominent venues where he has performed are Bozar Hall in Brussels, Auditorio Nacional in Madrid, Kölner Philharmonie, Concertgebouw in Bruges, Koningin Elisabethzaal in Antwerp, Teatro Monumental in Madrid, Teatro Maestranza in Seville, Flagey Studio 4, Auditorio de Granada, Argenta and Pereda Halls in Santander, ADDA, and Auditorio de Galicia.

Álvaro has won numerous awards at national and international competitions. Apart from his 2026 success at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels, he has achieved other major accolades throughout his career including First Prize at the Antonio Janigro International Cello Competition, First Prize at the Gustav Mahler Cello Competition, First Prize at the Peregrinos Musicales Competition, First Prize at the Intercentros Melómano Competition for Soloists, and First Prize at the Pedro Bote Competition, among others.

An avid chamber musician, he is a member of the Arriaga Quartet, formed at the Reina Sofía School in 2023. Álvaro has collaborated with internationally renowned artists such as Milana Chernyavska, Pablo Barragán, Christoph Poppen, Silke Avenhaus, and Alexei Ogrintchouk. Additionally, he has been invited to perform at concert series and festivals, including the Musiq3 Festival, Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad, Santander International Festival, the ESMRS Generación Ascendente series at the Auditorio Nacional, the Festival de l’Été Mosan, Marvão Academy, Musikakademie Nitzow, the MUSEG Festival, and the Cádiz Spanish Music Festival.

Álvaro plays a very rare and fine violoncello by Bartolomeo Cristofori, Firenze 1716, a loan from the Stretton Society.