Meet Sergio Escalera Soria, Pianist and Winner of Foundation for Bolivian Artists 2023-4

23 Jan 2024 · 3 min

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3:02

This content was created by The Piano Pod with Yukimi Song. This content was uploaded by The Piano Pod with Yukimi Song. This is a YouTube video titled "Meet Sergio Escalera Soria, Pianist and Winner of Foundation for Bolivian Artists 2023-4" (posted January 23, 2024). The excerpt is a short interview/promo featuring multiple speakers: an announcer (Speaker A) naming Sergio Escalera Soria as the foundation's winner; the host/interviewer (Speaker B) who previews an upcoming episode with guest Walter Aparicio, promotes the March 1 Cantuta Concerts Opus 1 at Merkin Hall in New York (with a discount code and livestream/ podcast availability), and invites TPP listeners; and Sergio Escalera Soria (the interviewee), a Bolivian pianist based in Lisbon who discusses his background, the scarcity of opportunities for Bolivian musicians, and the importance of making Bolivian music more visible. The content functions as both an interview and an event promotion and highlights the Foundation for Bolivian Artists and an upcoming recital.

Our winner is Sergio Escalera Soria, and he's a really, really wonderful musician, very talented, and to us he really represents a 21st century artist.
In our upcoming episode, I had a pleasure of interviewing Walter Aparicio, a pianist, educator, and the founder and president of the Foundation for Bolivian Artists. I also had the opportunity to chat with Sergio Escalera Soria, the foundation's inaugural recital scholarship recipient, who will be showcasing his talents at the prestigious Merkin Hall in New York City on March 1st.
I'm Sergio. I was born in Cochabamba, which is the third or fourth largest city of Bolivia, although for the past 15 years I've lived abroad in many different countries. Right now I'm based in Portugal, in the city of Lisbon. It's— I think it's the seventh country where I've lived. I'm not fully sure. So I've been moving around a lot and like chasing or being chased by musical opportunities. I'm always eager to share my music and to participate in the larger Bolivian musical scene. I'm afraid to say that opportunities for Bolivians are actually scarce, and this is why the work of the foundation is incredibly valuable. These opportunities are not out there for Bolivians. We are not that present or represented in the classical music scene. That's a fact. Everybody has the right to access the pinnacle of humankind creations, and some of that is that music, and it's really a privilege. I feel This can only make Bolivian artists more visible. This can put us and put our value, you know, somewhere like in a shelf that is full of dignity and integrity that is not often the case for a country that has suffered a lot. Bolivia is full of music. We have such rich and diverse rhythms, instruments, you know, never heard of instruments perhaps for our audience. I hope that this recital and this episode encourages people to discover a bit more of our rich Bolivian music and culture.
I'd like to extend an invitation to all my dear TPP fans and listeners for the March 1st Cantuta Concerts Opus 1 at Merkin Hall in New York City, supporting the winner of Foundation of Bolivian Artists of the Year, Sergio Escalera Soria. Use the exclusive discount code, which will be revealed in the episode, to receive a special discount. Tune in to the live stream of Season 4, Episode 10, featuring guest Walter Aparicio tomorrow night, Tuesday, January 23rd at 8 PM Eastern. Simultaneously, the audio version will be available on your favorite podcast platform. Don't miss out!