Priscila Navarro

Priscila Navarro was born In Huánuco, Peru. She began her piano studies at the National Conservatory of Music (now the University of Music) in Lima, Peru, where she was a student of Lydia Hung. She attended several festivals at a young age, where she was always acknowledged as a special talent. She was the winner of the Maddy Summer Artist award at Interlochen Summer Camp, as well as the Kiwanis Music Festival Concerto Competition in Toronto. Ms. Navarro has won numerous awards in international competitions, including first prize at the Liszt-Garritson piano competition, the Chopin competition of Texas, the Beethoven Sonata competition in Memphis, the Imola City Awards, Italy, the special Bach prize at the International Piano Competition city of Vigo "Argerich Edition," and most recently the Heida Hermanns International Competition. Ms. Navarro made her Carnegie Hall Solo Recital Debut in 2013. Since then, she has performed in major halls in the United States, Europe, South America, and China. She is equally at home as a soloist with orchestra, in solo recital, or as a collaborator with other artists. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Florida Gulf Coast University, as a pupil of Dr. Michael Baron, where she held the Steinway Society Scholarship, the Van Williams Scholarship and the Lussenhop Scholarship. She holds a Masters degree and an Artist Diploma from the University of Miami Frost School of Music, where she was a student of Santiago Rodriguez and Kevin Kenner. She currently pursues a Doctorate in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, and simultaneously studies at the Imola Piano Academy with the legendary Boris Petrushansky. Ms. Navarro competed in the Hilton Head International Piano Competition in 2019 and in Cleveland’s Virtu(al)oso Competition in 2020. She has been selected as one of the 24 finalists for the Leeds 2021.

Given her heritage, Priscila has always been partial to Latin composers, a perfect fit for BravoPiano! Celebrating the Music of the Americas.

This performance is made possible by a generous contribution from Mike and Mary Briggs.

Priscila Navarro In Recital Rhythms Of Latin America

Saturday, June 5 at 7:30 pm St. Luke’s Church

Astor Piazzolla (Argentina) “Adiós Nonino” Tango Rhapsody Ignacio Cervantes (Cuba) Danzas Cubanas (Soledad, Adiós a Cuba, Siempre Si, Los Tres Golpes, Ilusiones Perdidas) Ernesto Lecuona (Cuba) Danzas Afrocubanas (Danza Negra, La Comparsa)

Antonio Maria Valencia (Colombia) El Sotareño — Bambuco Remo Pignoni (Argentina) Por el sur — Huella Ernesto Nazareth (Brazil) Desengocado — Tango Brasileiro Alberto Ginastera (Argentina) Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 22 INTERMISSION Manuel María Ponce (México) Intermezzo No. 1 (1909) Manuel María Ponce (México) Romanza de Amor Jimmy López (Perú) Ccantu (2011) Gershwin/Wild (American) Seven Virtuoso Etudes (Lady Be Good, Liza, Embraceable You, Somebody Loves Me, Fascinatin’ Rhythm, The Man I Love, I Got Rhythm)

I was so excited to be invited back to Hilton Head, especially for this festival celebrating the music of the Americas. As a classical pianist from Peru, I wanted to take this opportunity to share music from Latin America as well as some of my favorite North American classics. Much of the music of the American continent is influenced by dances of the different regions. My program reflects the richness found in this variety, emphasizing the duality between song and dance. As a wonderful teacher once told me, we must try to sing the dance. In the first half I include dance-inspired music: the Argentinian tango, many varieties of Cuban dances as well as Afro-Cuban rhythms, and finally the first sonata of Ginastera, who infused all his academic music with many genres of South American dances. The second half of the program presents beautiful lyrical pieces, as well as a work by a living composer. I chose to end with Earl Wild’s arrangements of Gershwin songs, the embodiment of a singing piano. Gershwin captures the American spirit in a way that is both admired and loved by people all around the world, and Wild’s transcriptions allow us to play some of his most famous songs.