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 Patillas (, ) is a beach town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the southeastern coast, south of San Lorenzo; west of Yabucoa and Maunabo; and east of Guayama and Arroyo. It is spread over 15 barrios and Patillas Pueblo (the downtown a ...

. Her first piano teacher was her mother, who was a church organist. She went on to earn a B. Mus. (1961) from

Peabody Conservatory The Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University is a private conservatory and preparatory school in Baltimore, Maryland. It was founded in 1857 and opened in 1866 by merchant/financier and philanthropist George Peabody (1795–1869) ...

and a M. Mus. (1973) from the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most el ...

. Grants from the

Institute of Puerto Rican Culture The Institute of Puerto Rican Culture ( es, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña), or ICP, for short, is an institution of the Government of Puerto Rico responsible for the establishment of the cultural policies required in order to study, preser ...

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 US$25,000 gift from Edsel Ford. By 1947, after the death ...

scholarship for a Ph. D. from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

in 1979. Her dissertation was entitled ''A Study of Selected Puerto Rican Danzas for the Piano''. Villarini's teachers included

Claus Adam Claus Adam (November 5, 1917 – July 4, 1983) was an American cellist and cello teacher as well as a composer. His music teachers include Emanuel Feuermann for cello, Stefan Wolpe for composition, and Léon Barzin for conducting. He served as ...

, 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, Massach ...

Eugene List Eugene List (July 6, 1918March 1, 1985) was an American concert pianist and teacher. Early life Eugene List was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He spent his formative years in Los Angeles, where his father Louis List (originally Lisnitzer) ...

, 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 federal ...

in 1981. She was the 1985 winner of the Artist International Piano Award. The late New York Times music critic

Harold C. Schonberg Harold Charles Schonberg (29 November 1915 – 26 July 2003) was an American music critic and author. He is best known for his contributions in ''The New York Times'', where he was List of chief music critics, chief music critic from 1960 to 198 ...

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 Pat Parker (born Patricia Cooks; January 20, 1944June 17, 1989) was an American poet and activist. Both her poetry and her activism drew from her experiences as an African-American lesbian Feminism, feminist.Pat Parker. Contemporary Authors On ...

) *''Four Songs'' *''Two Love Songs'' (texts by

Julia de Burgos Julia de Burgos García (February 17, 1914 – July 6, 1953) was a Puerto Rican poet. As an advocate of Puerto Rican independence, she served as Secretary General of the Daughters of Freedom, the women's branch of the Puerto Rican National ...

and

Pablo Neruda Ricardo Eliécer Neftalí Reyes Basoalto (12 July 1904 – 23 September 1973), better known by his pen name and, later, legal name Pablo Neruda (; ), was a Chilean poet-diplomat and politician who won the 1971 Nobel Prize in Literature. Nerud ...

)

References

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