Awilda M. Villarini-Garcia (born 6 February 1940) is a Puerto Rican composer and pianist who publishes and performs under the name "Awilda Villarini." Villarini was born in Patillas. Her first piano teacher was her mother, who was a church organist. She went on to earn a B. Mus. (1961) from Peabody Conservatory and a M. Mus. (1973) from the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...

. Grants from the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture enabled Villarini to study piano in Paris and Vienna. She received a

Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a $25,000 (about $550,000 in 2023) gift from Edsel Ford. ...

scholarship for a Ph.D. from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

in 1979. Her dissertation was entitled ''A Study of Selected Puerto Rican Danzas for the Piano''. Villarini's teachers included Claus Adam, Jean Marie Darre, Carmelina Figureoa, Alexander Gorodnitzky,

William Kroll William Kroll (; 30 January 1901 – 10 March 1980) was an American violinist and composer. His most famous composition is ''Banjo and Fiddle'' for violin and piano. Biography William Kroll was born in New York City and died in Boston, Massac ...

, Eugene List, Walter Panhofer, and Dieter Weber. Villarini received a grant from the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the feder ...

in 1981. She was the 1985 winner of the Artist International Piano Award. The late New York Times music critic Harold C. Schonberg wrote: "I have heard Liszt's Transcendental Etude in f minor by hundreds of young pianists in different piano competitions. Ms. Villarini's technique and interpretation proved to be superior to all of them. She is an exciting romantic pianist." Villarini's compositions include:

Chamber

*''Three Fantastic Pieces'' (clarinet and piano) *''Variaciones sobre el Canto del Coquí'' (unaccompanied flute) *''Visiones'' (woodwind quintet)

Orchestra

*Cinquillo Dramatico *Concerto (orchestra and piano) *Legend of the Indian *Suite Portoricinses (also a piano reduction)

Piano

*''Sonata No. 1'' *''Suite Portoricinses'' (also orchestrated) *''Ten Preludes'' *''Three Preludes for Piano''

Vocal

*"Dialogue" (text by Pat Parker) *''Four Songs'' *''Two Love Songs'' (texts by Julia de Burgos and

Pablo Neruda Pablo Neruda ( ; ; born Ricardo Eliécer Neftalí Reyes Basoalto; 12 July 190423 September 1973) was a Chilean poet-diplomat and politician who won the 1971 Nobel Prize in Literature. Neruda became known as a poet when he was 13 years old an ...

)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Villarini, Awilda Living people New York University alumni People from Patillas, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican women composers Puerto Rican pianists Puerto Rican women pianists 1940 births Peabody Institute alumni Juilliard School alumni National Endowment for the Arts Fellows