07/21/2023
Meet our new teacher: Mr. Mario!
Brazilian pianist Mario Barbosa graduated from Baylor University with his Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Piano Performance and a Master’s Degree in Collaborative Piano under Dr. Bradley Bolen. He is an active soloist, teacher and collaborator in the U.S., Brazil, Mexico, Europe, and the Middle East. He has recently served as staff pianist for the Voice Area of the Texas Tech University School of Music and will continue to serve in the Music in the Marche program in Mondavio, Italy for a fifth. Recent engagements include teaching masterclasses in Damascus, Syria, as soloist in Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy with the Central Texas Choral Society, pianist with the Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra in Orff’s “Carmina Burana,” as a regular guest with the Beeville Concert Association, guest-artist chamber recitals at colleges and universities throughout New Mexico and Oklahoma, and masterclass collaboration for Tony Award winner William Jermaine Heredia.
Barbosa has played in masterclasses by Anton Nel, Frederic Chiu, John Owings, and has won the Baylor University Summer Piano Institute Student Recital competition as well as the “Audience Favorite” award.
He was invited to play a solo recital in the “Série Jovens Pianistas” (Young Pianists Series, July 2021) in Cabo Frio, Brazil. Mario Barbosa has recently won the Third Prize in the Gloria Artis International Piano Competition of Vienna, Austria. In addition to yearly performances in Italy, Barbosa has recently made his solo debut in Beirut, Lebanon, appeared as soloist with the Syrian National Symphony Orchestra, and is scheduled to make appearances in a tour of Mexico next year.
Mario believes it is never too early to instill good technique and musicianship, as these are integral for the cultivation and love of any work at the piano. He enjoys utilizing strengths from different schools of piano playing in order to bring the best out of his students in any age and level, no matter the style of repertoire. Mario has extensive experience teaching students of all ages: He currently teaches piano as an instructor for the Continuing Education Program at CU Boulder and undergraduate courses in group piano for the College of Music at CU; in his pursuit of bringing musical joy and instruction to children Mario has conducted both private piano lessons and engaged large ensembles. This extensive experience with younger students includes his work as a middle school head choir director, high school musical theater director, and vocal coach.
Mario Barbosa is currently pursuing a doctorate in Piano Performance at the University of Colorado Boulder under Dr. David Korevaar with a teaching assistantship in piano.