Latin American Two-Piano and Trumpet Recital
Mauricio Arias-Esguerra, Universidad de los Andes, Colombia Juan Carlos López, Conservatorio del Tolima, Colombia Randy Lee, BYU Madison Moline, BYU Gerta Wiemer, UVU
7:30 PM | SEPT. 30, 2025 | RECITAL HALL | MUSIC BUILDING
- PA R T I - L AT I N A M E R I C A I N T W O P I A N O S -
Three Argentinian romances for two pianos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CARLOS GUASTAVINO Las niñas Muchacho jujeño Baile en Cuyo
1912-2000
Idilio Mexicano for two pianos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MANUEL M. PONCE 1882-1948
Rhapsody for two pianos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DIEGO VEGA b. 1968
Libertango (two-piano version) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ASTOR PIAZZOLLA 1921-1992
-PART II - WORKS BY MAURICIO ARIAS-ESGUERRA -
Convergencia No. 1 for viola and piano . . . . . . . . . MAURICIO ARIAS-ESGUERRA b. 1984
Improvisation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MAURICIO ARIAS-ESGUERRA Rapsodia Camaleónica for trumpet, piano and orchestra (version with 2nd piano) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MAURICIO ARIAS-ESGUERRA
Biographies Juan Carlos López Peña Concert Pianist and Pedagogue www.juanlopez.co Pianist graduated with highest distinction from the National University of Colombia, where he earned a Master’s degree in Piano Pedagogy with honors, under the guidance of Maestro Mac McClure, disciple of Alicia de Larrocha. He works as a concert pianist, soloist, répétiteur, and pedagogue, and since 2011 he has been Associate Professor at the Conservatory of Tolima, where he leads the piano department, in addition to carrying out academic accompanying duties and artistic direction. Born in Ibagué in 1988, he began his piano studies at the age of 14 at the School of Music of the Conservatory of Tolima with Maestro Carlos Ceballos. In 2005, he entered the Conservatory of Music at the National University of Colombia, where he studied under Professor Piedad Pérez, completing his undergraduate degree. In 2013, he was admitted to the Master’s program in Piano Pedagogy at the same university, graduating with honors in 2015. He has received masterclasses and advanced training with renowned pianists and pedagogues such as Miguel Ángel Sceba, Abraham Abreu (“Bach and the piano”), Vladimir Alkalai, Teresita Gómez, Vaclav Pacl, Martha Zabaleta, Harold Martina, Katia Michel, and Blanca Uribe. In parallel, since 2006 he has trained as an organist with Maestro Mauricio Nasi, and has participated in masterclasses with international figures such as Pascal Marsault, Christian Schmitt, Theo Brandmüller (disciple of Olivier Messiaen), and Wolfgang Seifen. He made his solo debut in 2006 with the Symphony Orchestra
of the Conservatory of Tolima. Since then, he has been invited to various festivals and concert series, including performances at the Primatial Cathedral of Bogotá, the Piano Festival of the Adventist University of Medellín (2010), the Óscar Buenaventura International Piano Festival (2013), and the International Choir Festival of Ibagué. He has served as collaborative pianist at events such as the Euphonios International Competition (Tocancipá) and the Philharmonic Orchestra of Cali Competition. In 2016, he took part in the chamber music concert season of the Conservatory of Tolima, culminating with the performance of Francis Poulenc’s Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra. In 2017, he joined the “Blanco y Negro” duo at the International Piano Festival of Tolima and was selected to perform at the International Piano Festival of Bucaramanga, offering recitals in various towns across Santander. In 2018, he represented Colombia at the World Piano Conference (Novi Sad, Serbia), being the only Colombian invited. That same year, he performed in cultural programs at major national venues such as the León de Greiff Auditorium and the Jorge Tadeo Lozano University Auditorium, and gave the world premiere of Mauricio Nasi’s Concerto for Piano and Orchestra Op. 151. In 2019, he was awarded the Salvi Foundation Scholarship to represent piano professors at the Cartagena International Music Festival and won First Prize at the Musikeon Piano Competition in Valencia, Spain, being the only Latin American pianist awarded in the professional category. Since 2023, he has served as Artistic Director of the International Piano Festival of Ibagué, bringing a renewed vision that has positioned it as a Latin American reference for internationally acclaimed pianists. In 2024, he was appointed Artistic Director of the First Blanca Uribe International Piano Competition, an event that has successfully gathered a global network of young talents and distinguished jurors, with the purpose of honoring the life and legacy of one of Colombia’s greatest pianists and of promoting a space of pianistic excellence in Latin America.
He currently works closely with Maestro Blanca Uribe, not only as her pupil but also as part of a piano duo preparing for an upcoming international tour, reaffirming his commitment to the dissemination of the universal piano repertoire and the cultivation of new audiences through the art of piano four-hands.
This concert is made possible thanks to the support of: Conservatorio del Tolima
Mauricio Arias-Esguerra, piano @mauricioariasesguerra Pianist, composer, and improviser Mauricio AriasEsguerra is a versatile Colombian musician. The composer of Rapsodia Camaleónica for trumpet, piano, and orchestra, he has performed in various continents and important venues, including Carnegie Hall in New York and Festival di Spoleto (Italy), representing Colombia, along with Medellín Philharmonic Orchestra. As a pianist, one of his projects is the promotion of pieces by contemporary Colombian composers. He has published three albums: ¡Colombia Viva and ¡Colombia Viva! Vol. 2 (Toccata Classics, 2015 and 2023), both focused on the contemporary music of his native Colombia and including his own compositions and improvisations, and La trompeta camaleónica (2020, with trumpeter Randy Lee), where he appears as composer and performer. Most of his scores are available through Filarmonika.com. He has been an award winner in the Kingsville (1st prize, solo competition), Schmidbauer, Peabody Mason, USASU Bösendorfer, and Panama City piano competitions. In Colombia, he was the winner of the 1st Fryderyk Chopin National Piano Competition and the UIS National Piano Competition. He studied piano with Ludmila Weber (Corpas University, BM), Baruch Meir, and Robert Hamilton (Arizona State University, DMA). He has studied composition with Rodney Rogers and Jorge Pinzón, in addition to participating in various courses with composers James DeMars, Zygmunt Krauze, Zhou Long, Philippe Manoury, Martijn Padding, Paul Patterson, Alessandro Solbiati, Simon Steen-Andersen, and Chen Yi. He has been commissioned by the National Symphony
Orchestra of Colombia, University of Florida Symphonic Band, Bogotá Department of Education, and Piano Teachers Congress of New York. Mauricio is currently assistant professor at Universidad de los Andes in Colombia. He is the pianist and arranger of Bogotá Piano Trio, with whom he carries out the project ¡Colombia a ritmo de trío! Mauricio is a Yamaha Artist.
This concert is made possible thanks to the support of: Centro de Investigación y Creación at Universidad de los Andes (Colombia)
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