Sunday, March 23, 2025
Pianist Priscila Navarro is the first prize winner of several international competitions, including the Liszt-Garritson International Competition in Baltimore, Maryland, Beethoven Sonata Competition in Tennessee, Chopin International Competition of Texas, Artist Series of Sarasota, Florida, Imola City Awards, Italy, and the Heida Hermanns International Music Competition in Connecticut. Priscila made her Carnegie Hall solo recital debut in 2013 as an international competition winner and returned there this 2022 for further concerts. She received a Special Bach prize at the International City of Vigo Competition in Spain, where she was one of five finalists from over 400 participating pianists, with a jury presided by Martha Argerich. Her performances in England in 2021 were streamed on BBC public radio as well as the Medici TV channel. More recently, in 2022, she received the Christa-Marshall Bach foundation prize at the Leipzig Bach competition.
Priscila is a champion and advocate of Latin American music, conducting research and creative activities to further the propagation of Latin American art. In her pursuit of representation and inclusion, she developed a piano method for children based on Peruvian folk tunes, the first of its kind. She presented a program of Latin American dances at the Bravo Piano Festival in Hilton Head Island. This 2022 she made her Kennedy Center debut with a program combining staple repertoire by Chopin and works by Peruvian and Ecuadorean composers. She received a grant to perform a program of music by Peruvian composer Jimmy Lopez and Cuban American composer Tania Leon in 2023.
As a chamber musician, Priscila regularly performs with a wide variety of musicians. She did a tour of Peru with violist Jodi Levitz, professor of viola at the University of Miami. This past season, she presented a program of songs by American female composers alongside mezzo-soprano Sarah Barber. Priscila forms a piano duet with Dr. Michael Baron. Their first album was released in December 2021 with the MSR Classics label, followed by a Carnegie Hall premiere concert in March 2022. They have received five-star reviews from the American Record Guide and Fanfare Magazine.
Priscila holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in piano performance and pedagogy from the Frost School of Music, where she also completed Master and Artist Diploma degrees as a student of Santiago Rodriguez and Kevin Kenner. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Florida Gulf Coast University where she studied with Dr. Michael Baron. Priscila began her music studies at the age of 9 at the National Conservatory of Peru with Professor Lydia Hung.
Besides her busy performance career, Priscila is a passionate pedagogue and has been on the jury at several international competitions, including the Chopin International Competition for Latin American pianists, the Heida Hermanns International Competition, and the Parnassus International Competition. She is also the artistic director and founder of the Parnassus Music Society, an organization that focuses on providing high-quality musical events in Latin America, as well as promoting young Latin American pianists with opportunities for performance and education.
Priscila is Assistant Professor of piano at the University of Kansas. As a winner of the 2023 national audition, she also joined the roster of Astral Artists.
