Critically acclaimed for his prodigious virtuosity and keen musicality, Mexican pianist Alfredo Arjona brings audiences a unique artistic vision that reflects his uncommon path with the piano since he did not begin his piano studies until the age of twenty at the University of Veracruz in México. Before embarking on his musical career, Mr. Arjona was planning to become a chemical engineer and worked in a lipid laboratory.
From Veracruz, he went on to receive his Concert-Diploma at the prestigious Queen Sofía School in Madrid under Dmitri Bashkirov. Later he studied with Joaquín Achúcarro at Southern Methodist University where he earned his Artist Certificate, Master’s in Piano Performance, and Master’s in Piano Pedagogy. He holds a Doctorate in Piano Performance from the University of North Texas where he studied under the guidance of Pamela Mia Paul. He has been invited to perform in master classes throughout the world for eminent figures such as Abbey Simon, Andrew Litton, John Perry, György Sándor, Menahem Pressler, Andras Schiff, Emile Naoumoff, and Leon Fleischer.
Alfredo Arjona’s first prizes came in 1992 at the “City of Xalapa” Piano Competition and in 1994 at the Second Guanajuato Piano Competition, and in 1996, he personally received the Queen Sofía Piano Award from her Majesty herself. In recognition of his meteoric ascent, the National Foundation for Culture and Arts in México has twice bestowed upon Dr. Arjona its prestigious grant for both his performances and research. At SMU, he was elected by the faculty both to the Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society and to receive the Roy and Sue Johnson Award in memory of Maurice Acers. He has also been a recipient of the Perry R. Bass Award in Music in 2007.
Dr. Arjona´s career has spanned two continents, with performances in Madrid, Barcelona, Santander, Córdoba, Lisbon, Rome, Vienna, New York, San Francisco, Dallas, Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Xalapa, Puebla, and Mérida, and he has been invited to perform with the symphony orchestras of Alabama, Xalapa, Guanajuato, Monterrey, Jalisco, Zacatecas, and Yucatán, among others. At the 1999 U.S.-México summit, he had the honor of performing for Presidents Bill Clinton and Ernesto Zedillo.
His exceptionally rich musical training, combined with his science and mathematics background, has allowed him to develop a nuance approach towards a broad repertoire spanning German classicism, French impressionism, and Latin American modernism.
Both an active performer and an internationally sought-after pedagogue, Dr. Alfredo Arjona is currently the Chair of the Piano Department at the National Institute of Arts and Literature´s Superior School of Music, one of the most prestigious musical institutions in the country.
Liszt: Sonata in B minor – Andante sostenuto
Alfredo Arjona 