“Diversity and Inclusion in Piano Repertoire and Pedagogy”
Rodrigo Acevedo Traba
José Pomar: Discovering A Musical Genius
Tuesday, May 6th, 2025
10:30am-12pm
This presentation will highlight the remarkable contributions of Mexican composer José Pomar (1880-1961), whose unique style significantly impacted the Mexican and Latin American musical scenes. Although Pomar was unable to travel to Europe, he remained well-informed and receptive to the innovative ideas of his time, and his contributions to music deserve greater recognition.
Join us as we explore Pomar’s piano compositions, culminating in his Sonata in F-sharp minor, which is one of the earliest piano sonatas in Mexico. Regarded as Pomar’s masterpiece, this sonata demonstrates a sophisticated use of developing variations and features a harmonic language reminiscent of Scriabin’s style.
In this workshop, Rodrigo Acevedo Traba will present his extensive research on Pomar’s life and piano works, shedding light on their influence and relevance in contemporary piano music.
Date:
Tuesday, May 6th, 2025
10:30am-12pm
Location:
PianoPiano Rehearsal Studios Theatre
37 W. 65th St., 4th floor,
New York, NY 10023
A native of Mexico City, Rodrigo Acevedo Traba (b. 1992) is a pianist, composer, researcher and music editor.
Mr. Acevedo´s career as a pianist has been focused on promoting lesser known, primarily Mexican repertoire. He has performed solo and chamber music recitals in the main concert halls throughout Mexico. Also, he is the founder editorial traba, a sheet music publishing project that aims to raise awareness and disseminate Mexican classical music that deserves the stage.
In 2018, Mr. Acevedo was awarded two grants from The National Fund for Culture and the Arts (FONCA) to record the complete piano works by Mexican composer José Pomar, and to tour Mexico with concerts of Pomar’s music. Mr. Acevedo has been a champion of Jose Pomar’s music since then. The complete recordings are on Spotify in an Album titled “La Obra Integral para Piano de Jose Pomar”.
Mr. Acevedo is a collaborative pianist at Panamerican University (UP), and is both piano and music theory faculty at Notenblat Music Academy. In addition to his work as performer, researcher, and teacher, he also performs on the Candlelight Concerts by Fever in Mexico City, with renowned cellist Cristina Arista and drummer Erick Noble.
He was introduced to music at the age of 4 by his grandfather Timoteo Traba, bassoonist with the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional. Mr. Acevedo studied Piano, Composition and Chamber Music in the Department of Music at the UNAM with Professors Carlos Montes de Oca, Leonardo Coral and Sergio Cárdenas, respectively. In 2020, he obtained the Bachelor of Music in Piano with Honors. With the help of a scholarship from Fundación Turquois, he was able to further his studies at the Rainier III Music Academy in Monaco, where he studied with Professors Laurent Alonso and Mark Solé-Leris, obtaining his Diploma in Music and Piano performance. He also made his solo debut in a performance with the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra. Additionally, he has performed in Master Classes with renowned pianists such as Yulianna Avdeeva, Bruno Rigutto and Jorge Federico Osorio.