Walter F. Aparicio, Pianist

“Aparicio is a strong advocate for this [Bolivian] music" -infodad.com

Known for the warmth and conviction of his performances, pianist Walter Aparicio explores issues of cultural background and identity through his concerts and workshops. Much of his programming includes music that directly references elements of dance, language and folk traditions.

Walter’s notable New York credits include Symphony Space, the Cell Theatre, Steinway Hall, and Firehouse Space. Outside of the US, he has presented performances at the International Academy of Music in St. Petersburg (Russia), the Beijing International Music Festival & Academy (China), and Barcelona Piano Academy (Spain).

An adventurous artist, Walter has participated in performance installations such as Allora & Calzadilla’s Stop, Repair, Prepare: Variations on Ode to Joy for a Prepared Piano. Taking place at the Gladstone Gallery, NY, the work involved the pianist performing backwards - from a hole cut inside a grand piano - while moving the instrument around the gallery space. The work transforms the player/instrument dynamic, and this experience has been part of Mr. Aparicio’s ongoing inquiry into the nature of performance and the artist-audience relationship. Other ventures have included collaborations with the Nouveau Classical Project (where fashion meets music) and Notes on Fiction, a series where musical references in literature are presented as a fluid reading/concert hybrid.

An active proponent of music by Latin American composers, Walter is committed to introducing rarely heard works to new audiences. His debut album, "Aires Indios: Piano Music of Bolivia" (MSR Classics) features music by Eduardo Caba, Simeón Roncal and Marvin Sandi. These evocative works that take the sounds of Andean folk music are then in fused with the stylized vocal quality of Chopin and the barbarism of Bartók.

In 2017, Mr. Aparicio was named to the artist roster of Cayambis Music Press, a leading publisher of works by Latin American composers. As a Cayambis artist, Walter champions and records recent works of the publisher’s composers.

Upcoming projects include a program of nature-themed solo piano works and art song to be performed the Santa Cruz Foundation for the Performing Arts (Patagonia, AZ) and NYC. This season, Walter will also present concerts at the Works-In-Progress series (Adamant, VT) and at the University of Pennsylvania.