Season 5 Bonus Episode feat. José Navarro-Silberstein, A Winner of the Kantuta Opus 2 Scholarship

This episode is brought to you by Foundation for Bolivian Artists, whose support helps make this show possible.

Are you looking for an experience of cultural exchange and community? Foundation for Bolivian Artists presents Cantuta Concerts Opus 2 with José Navarro Silberstein in his New York recital debut. At Foundation for Bolivian Artists, we showcase the exceptional talent of Bolivian classical musicians, providing them with valuable exposure to advance their musical careers. So come join us on February 28th at Merkin Hall and share in the discovery of Bolivia's unique culture and music.

Hello, Piano Pod friends and listeners! Happy New Year 2025! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season wherever you are in the world. It's so good to be back after a brief hiatus, and to kick off the year, I am so thrilled to bring you this special bonus episode of The Piano Pod today. In this episode, we celebrate an extraordinary artist with Bolivian heritage who is making waves in the classical music world. For this feature, I am excited to spotlight our sponsor of the month, the Foundation for Bolivian Artists. This incredible organization is dedicated to supporting and showcasing musicians of Bolivian heritage while preserving the rich cultural traditions of Bolivia through the arts. Today we are honored to highlight the season's Foundation winner, José Navarro Silverstein. But before we meet José and learn about his journey, I'd like to welcome back a familiar face to The Piano Pod audience, the founder of the Foundation for Bolivian Artists, celebrated pianist, educator, and my dear friend and colleague, Walter Aparicio. You may remember Walter from Season 4, Episode where he shared his mission to elevate Bolivian artists, Bolivian music, and culture on a global stage. If you missed that episode, I highly recommend checking it out on our YouTube channel or on your favorite podcast platform, and you can find links in the description. Welcome back to The Piano Pod with Walter.

Thank you, Yukimi Song. I'm so happy to be back on The Piano Pod and to update everyone a little bit on everything that we're doing on the updates on the foundation.

Great. Congratulations, first of all, on the successful Concerto Opus 1 season, which was the last season, and the fantastic winner's concert almost a year ago. I can't believe it's been a year.

That's right.

And I really had a privilege of attending Sergio Escalera Soria's concert last year, and it was truly inspiring. Beyond his outstanding performance, I was deeply moved by the overwhelming support he received The audience was filled with familiar faces from our New York City piano community and members of the Bolivian community who came out in full force with banners and flags and cheering with pride after every piece. I really— that made me super emotional. So, plus interviewing Sergio as a bonus segment for your episode last season was a highlight. So what was it like to complete the first season of the Foundation for Bolivian Artists?

Yeah, well, you know, Yukimi, you said so much of it. And thank you so much for coming and supporting our, you know, our first event of the organization. Sehyr's concert was fabulous and full of energy. And what you spoke about, about the Bolivian community coming, was in a way an added bonus for us because we weren't really sure how many people from the community would come out. And we were very lucky and I'm very grateful to everyone who came out to support this particular recital because it may not be kind of an event that the community normally goes to. And I'm very in favor of all the cultural events that they already are curating and promoting with folkloric dances and all these kinds of things. But so what I found really beautiful was that we were able to create a new space for Bolivians to gather to show our support to a very talented Bolivian pianist and of course to hear some amazing music, not just by Bolivian composers, but also of composers from Latin America. And I mean, he had an amazing program, even so much so that there was— the lights came on And the people kept clapping. And so the lights went back off and he played an encore. So that was really kind of unusual, you know. So that shows the kind of enthusiasm we had at that concert.

Yeah. Yeah. It was so, so wonderful. And the— really, the energy that I felt in the venue was something special, something memorable. So congratulations again. Now, I am thrilled to have you here to announce and introduce the winner of the Foundation's Cantuta Opus 2 competition.

That's right. So today we are very thrilled to announce the winner of Cantuta Concerts Opus 2, our second concert, and it is José Navarro Silberstein, and he's an incredible a young pianist who has really been playing all over Europe. He is currently based in Brussels, but has, of course, he grew up in La Paz, Bolivia, and his talent is very electric. And so he was definitely a favorite among the participants and applicants this year. Jury members were really in a tough position because there were very many applicants that were, in our view, that would really make a good fit for this concert, but he stood out among them, and we're very excited to have him in Merkin Hall next February.

Wonderful. And so when is the concert?

So the concert is February 28th, Friday, February 28th, at Merkin Hall in New York City.

Great. Now, what qualities stood out from other pianists?

Right, so the heart of our application has to do with the proposed recital program. It really shows who the pianist is as an artist, what kind of repertoire is important to them, and what they are wanting to show the New York audience from Bolivian music, but also from music that is important to them and shows who they are and what they think about artistically and pianistically. And so his program particularly was really connecting Latin American music with European music. And so there are also rarely heard works and really exciting pieces that I know that the audience will— be really enjoying.

Right. And then I think I saw a post by you that he just was selected as one of the finalists for the Busoni International Piano Competition.

That's right. So he's been doing, you know, kind of on the competition circuit. He's, I believe, 29 years old. And so he's still of age to do that. And those are really, really important opportunities. And so through a recorded video and audience vote, he was selected to be among, I believe, 34 finalists of a ton, a ton of pianists for this very kind of prestigious and difficult piano competition. And I don't know when exactly that is, sometime in 2025. So you'll hear him before he does the finals.

Oh, wow. Impressive. We are so thrilled to welcome José Navarro Silberstein, an extraordinary concert pianist and the recipient of the Cantuta Opus 2 Scholarship awarded by the Foundation for Bolivian Artists. José, congratulations on your New York debut, recital debut, and thank you so much for being here.

Thanks to you, Yukimi. It's a big honor for me to be with you and to share some insights about my life as a pianist, as a musician, and my upcoming projects.

Thank you. So first of all, congratulations. And you'll be performing at Merkin Hall, one of New York City's most iconic and esteemed concert venues, on February 28th, 2025. Exactly. Yeah. 7:30 PM. It's a prestigious achievement and we are As New Yorkers, as one of the New Yorkers, delighted to have you here in the city. And so right now, where are you joining from?

At the moment, I'm in my native city, La Paz, Bolivia. Yeah, I'm very excited to be here after, yeah, it's been like one year and a half almost.

Folks who are listening or watching this episode, currently it is December 16th, 2024, and José just hit another massive milestone in his career. José, you were named as one of the grand finalists of the 65th Busoni International Piano Competition, right?

Indeed. Oh my goodness.

Please, please tell us more about this briefly.

Yeah, well, of course, I'm incredibly excited and flattered, and this— I'm so much looking forward to to be in Bolzano actually for the second time because I've been also a finalist in 2021. Yeah, but now it was very special because I was in Japan. I came to the Hamamatsu competition and then I had a couple of weeks and I could have my first international round in Tokyo, Rebus Oni. Yeah, so I got with all the inspiration of my Japanese trip and really incredibly happy to play. And yeah, it's been really amazing how— yeah, and there was like a public vote also, and lots of people from all over the world supported me in a, in a really incredible way. And yeah, I'm, I'm so flattered that now this can be possible and I can, I can be a finalist in Bolzano and, and prepare myself in every sense to, to be the best in, in the final rounds in August. 2025.

Oh, it will be August 2025?

Yes, yes, exactly. Yeah, the final round. Yeah, so I have plenty of time. I mean, that's a very good thing of the Busoni that really allows you the time to prepare and think carefully about not only the repertoire but many aspects.

That's amazing. But tell us, what's the strategy?

Yeah, well, I mean, I want— I mean, last time I, I, it was during COVID and it was basically, I mean, there were not, not many concerts, so I said, okay, this is gonna be like my only, only goal, and I really like focused so hard on that, and it was great, of course, but I think it was a bit too much. So I think now I want to, um, I mean, now it's great that I really have like an idea now. I went, I know how it is, and I have I think I know already all of the pieces that I want to be playing there. And I want to be as relaxed as possible and don't try to think that this is a competition, but rather an opportunity to play and present myself and do it with my whole heart and do what I think also repertoire-wise. I mean, I want to, I want to put like South American music there. That is, of course, a very important part of myself and repertoire that is very close to my heart. And some people might say, well, it's not the best for competitions, but that's what I think I should do. So I will do that.

Wow. That's great. Well, all the best of luck to you. And then I'll be make sure to following you and cheering you on. Now, officially, I'd like for you to introduce yourself to The Piano Pod's audience, José, where you are currently based as an artist? And if you were to describe the essence of your artistry mission, passion, in just a few sentences, how would you define who you are as an artist today?

That's of course a difficult question because I think we sometimes we don't have the time even to ask ourselves who we are as we are in the middle of our activities and we just want to fulfill our goals and missions and Yeah, we don't think about this. We don't think often about this question, but I think it's very important. And I'm glad that you're asking this to myself. And I think I am a mixture of cultures because I am in essence Bolivian and I lived here till my 90th year. And Bolivia is one of the most important things in my life and in my music. But I also lived in many countries and I met many cultures. I learned some languages, and I think that constitutes a very important part of my identity and of my search of my artistic vision. And I want to, I want to be fulfilled in this, in these worlds. And Yes, and nowadays I'm based in Belgium, in Waterloo. I'm an artist in residence of the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel, and I'm very happy to be in the transition between like the— of being a student. It has been a very long path through Germany, England, Austria. I I had like many impressions and this is like the last point where I'm like really in a transition of the like student life to a professional career. And that's a very good thing of The Piano Pod where I am because they provide us with a great opportunity, basically a room with grand piano where I can— I have the time to explore my instrument like 24 hours per day. So that's— I couldn't ask for more. And also to launch an international career because they offer us concert opportunities with very big and important ensembles and orchestras. So it's a lot of support in this important moment, and I hope that this will really make the transition that I'm looking, looking for at the moment.

So what inspired you to enter this specific competition? Were there any aspects of it that particularly appealed to this competition by Foundation for Bolivian Artists?

Well, there were many things, but I think it was something incredibly special to have a foundation to support Bolivian pianists, that we are really not necessarily many, or it's not the like main activity in Bolivia, like the piano playing. So it resonated with me a lot, of course, and it's like it woke up my attention like immediately. And it's really such a great thing to have the opportunity to have a debut concert in Merkin Hall, I mean, one of the most important halls in the US, possibly, and therefore in the entire planet. So it's a very prestigious thing for me, a very big opportunity. And of course, as I say, my biggest passion is to play, and through my playing, discover new cultures and new opportunities, new publics. I thought that this is like the excellent, really excellent opportunity to open myself to new worlds like in the United States.

So then could you share more about your Bolivian background? I know you mentioned that you've lived there until you're maybe 4 or 8 18 years or so, right? Yeah. But specifically, like, your background and also how it really influences your artistry today, and then how does your cultural identity shape your approach to music?

Um, yeah, well, Bolivia is, as I told you, is, um, is one of the most important things in my daily life. I try to remember every day that I'm a Bolivian. And yeah, of course, I should say that I got, since very early, maybe even unconsciously, a lot of inspiration from our diversity, our cultural diversity, because we have like, we're surrounded by about 36 different ethnic groups in Bolivia, 3 different, I mean, completely different landscapes. Between the mountains, valleys, and tropical forests. So it's really, I mean, there is absolutely everything. And yeah, since very early, since I have memory, I mean, I saw and I heard dances even like on the streets from outside, from being inside home and hearing like from very far like some brass, I mean, heavy brass music. And that is called like the Morenada. And they were like dancing. And then I saw, I went to the street and I saw how they were dancing with these costumes and that made, of course, a very big impression since very early. And that's the music that I was hearing. And there's such a big diversity of dances and tunes and they are just so full of life. And I think that's the first contact I really had with music. And it's great because it's really It's so much what we are, what we are as a country and as people. And then it melts with somehow the classical music. I mean, I had the first opportunity to have touch and contact with the music of Mozart or Chopin at my 12th or 13th year. Yeah. Before I played piano, but just like for fun, or I improvised a lot. I had like lots of compositions. Yeah, but it was quite late that I discovered like in a way the classical music. And when I heard, it came like almost by accident, a CD of Mozart's Last Symphony to my house. And when I heard that, I knew immediately that that's the music that I wanted to do. That's that was my fate. That was really the thing that I wanted to do and explore for the rest of my life. And yeah, and here you have me like doing that.

Wow, really? That's great. Well, then you're really meant to do this, right? You're meant to be.

But yeah, I think it's interesting because yeah, this rhythmic complexity of the Bolivian somehow heritage, I mean, it's really still imprinted on me and that's why. Since a couple of years, I really decided to focus on South American composers and launch my first CD including music by Ginastera Villalobos, Marvin Sándiva, he's a Bolivian composer.

Okay. So you said that's a first album, right?

Exactly, yeah. And I also included, I mean, many people would wonder why I also included the Davidsmün Latenzé of Schumann. That is exactly because of my years in Germany, also exploring the German culture and realizing that they are also dances and that they might have been also heavily influenced by the German carnival. It's very typical, I mean, from the area where I was in Cologne. And I felt a very strong connection between all those pieces. And those were like all miniatures in a way. So I'm very happy with that combination that I made and that it also reflects what I am as a musician, I think.

Wow. So you are quite a world traveler. So you lived in Bolivia and then you went to, after that, you went to Europe for college or?

Yeah, I went immediately, like straight away. To Germany. And I've been in many cities, like in, especially in Weimar, the city of Franz Liszt, Cologne, where I made my master's and where I'm now developing a project that I will mention afterwards. And I also been in Austria. I had also the chance to work with Paul Waduraszkowa. That was a very, very big influence. One of the other fields that I really adore are like period pianos. Really, really crazy. I mean, Badura Škoda somehow inserted some seeds in that regard. And now I'm really like so happy to explore that and to play like the music from C.P. Bach to Beethoven in a very like improvisatory way. And yeah. And then, well, as I was like a bit stuck in the pandemic in Germany, I I wanted to try something different. I went, that's why, for my artist diploma to England and I made an artist diploma in the Royal College of Music. It was a great, great, great experience. And yeah, in a way I'm still connected with London. So my life rotates between Belgium, Cologne, and London. Yeah, yeah. And yeah, well, after my artist diploma, I needed like, yeah, I mean, really to see what's going to happen career-wise and which was the best opportunity. I found the Chopin really— I think it's a kind of island that I have now to develop really my career in the best way.

Wow, beautiful. So now I want to know what you'll be playing at the concert on February 28th. I'll be there. By the way, so I can't wait and I'm so looking forward to it. So can you tell us each piece that you'll be performing and then the name of the composer?

Yeah, well, I decided to make a kind of combination between European and South American composers that in a way influence a bit each other. So of course the focus is on the South Americans. So I'll play pieces by Bolivian composers as Eduardo Cábad is one of the pioneers. I mean, he's like one of the first actual like Bolivian composers to insert like our like Indian roots and traditions. I mean, indigenous, I mean, yeah. But he calls actually these pieces like Aires Indios. Yeah, where you can really feel, I think, this, very strong tradition, Bolivian tradition, melting piano music that I think it's one of my essences, of course. And by the other Bolivian composer, a couple of decades later, is Marvin Sandi. He was very, very much inspired by Eduardo Cava. And he made even one of the pieces that I'm playing is called In Memoriam to Cava, that recreates some of these Iris Indios in a in a very modern way, in a language of the 20th century with a lot of polytonality. And it's really great. And then also of Sandy, some ritmos fantásticos that are incredibly visionary and modern. There's even a 12-tone piece that is meld with some Bolivian dance, of course, is something incredibly bizarre and unique that I really loved. Yeah. And then, of course, two of the most important South American composers, Ginastera and Villa-Lobos. So I play the Estudio de Danzas Criollas that are Ginastera, that are Argentinian dances also in a very modern 20th century approach. They are actually not only Argentinian. I mean, the Creolian sense, I mean, could be also meant by the south of Bolivia. So that's of course something that's very, very much connected to my identity.

Yeah.

And the Villa-Lobos is one of my favorite pieces, the Ciclo Brasileiro, that are like 4 different pieces that represent different parts of Brazil. And they are also very much inspired into his European contemporaries. I mean, there you can hear a lot of Stravinsky, Debussy, Prokofiev. I mean, it's really, it's very, I mean, the evidence is very clear, but it's made in a very, very great language. And that's why I chose to play also the European part. And there is a selection of the Saudades do Brasil from Darius Milhaud, a French composer that was a very good friend of Villa-Lobos. And he was very much inspired on Brazilian culture. He wrote many, many pieces we know as Scaramouche, for instance. I mean, they're inspiring. Yeah, and these are like, it's a solo piano cycle that inspires in different like neighborhoods of Rio de Janeiro. So I think it melds very well with the Ciclo Brasileiro. And another piece that is very important for me is the Indian Diary of Busoni that is inspired in North American tunes and traditions that were presented by a student of him that was in America. And Busoni was incredibly inspired. By this music and wrote this amazing cycle that is the Indian Diary that I really love to play. Yeah. So it's a bit of a combination of all of these things.

What a great selection that you have. This selection is really specifically curated for this competition, this concert?

Yes. It's the first time that I would play like this repertoire. I mean, I played all of the pieces in very different like settings. But now I thought it's the opportunity to make something like absolutely authentic and that is like inside our, like, how could I say, like indigenous tradition. I mean, because I think all of these pieces have that and they're also very different, very, very varied in a very different tonal language. So I am really happy to embark into this adventure.

Wow, very interesting selection, and I love it. How do you envision this opportunity shaping your future? What do you hope to take away from this entire experience, you know, being in New York for several days and performing and also meeting with, you know, audience members afterwards? And so on.

Yeah, yeah. Well, of course, as a young pianist, I have the, the best hopes, and of course the hopes that everybody has. I mean, that's— yeah, maybe in the audience there will be some promoters and maybe, maybe some agents, maybe, maybe press, and maybe I will get some interesting reviews. That's always, of course, highly appreciated. And that's, I mean, to build up our career and to, to bring it also to the next level. And I think in a city like New York, this is is very much likely to happen. But of course, I'm aware that this is also— I mean, these are things that each of us like really hope, and that they are not easy things to achieve, and we cannot control that. So I would also like to, um, to value maybe some of the most important things, that is like to share with the audience, especially with the Bolivian community in New York, And I'm very, very much looking forward to meet all of them and to have a lovely time within the days of the concert, I mean, before and after it, and to share that very, very special moment through the music.

Wonderful. Do you have any other exciting plans while visiting?

Well, of course, with Walter, I'm trying to get some other opportunities, maybe some little performances and some Yeah, I mean, also like networking a bit with the Manhattan School of Music and Juilliard and do some projects also in the regard of South American compositions. And maybe going also to some other areas nearby also to meet people and maybe have some little house concerts and connect a bit. But also, of course, explore and travel and also be influenced by the amazing culture. I mean, there, I mean, it's such a special zone, I think the East Coast and with the cities around like Boston or DC also, and maybe have a day trip. And in New York, of course, too. I mean, I think maybe a lifetime wouldn't be enough to see all what is there. Of course, I want to, I'm also very interested in contemporary arts, and there is so much going on there, so I'm very excited.

Yeah. All right, so looking ahead, what are the next steps in your musical journey? Are there any specific projects, collaborations, uh, aspirations you're pursuing as you build on this achievement?

Um, well, at the moment I'm, um, I'm focused on keep doing competitions like, like the Busoni. And I'm trying, of course, I, I, I'm hoping to, to have some other opportunities also in 2025. Is like, I think is the year where I can do most out of it. So I'm, I'm really working on filling my agenda from like, especially from 2026 onwards. I mean, to have like also, I mean, to have this year really to focus well on, on the competitions that It's like, in a way, my last call. Yeah, but I have a very, very, very important project, as I was— I mentioned briefly before, and this is called Masurka Concerts. It's something I initiated in Cologne, a city where I, I live, and I think it's a place where I felt most at home after La Paz. And the concept of this concert series is to bring classical music to younger audiences, like the people of my, about my generation or below, so that we really can cultivate this and be, I mean, and to be really, to make it in a very fresh and very spontaneous and very accessible way. That is not always easy. And it's something that I've been developing from the last 2 years. And we have been incredibly lucky to have kind of sponsorship from Bechstein. I mean, they have been really amazing. They gave us like a brand new grand piano where we can really do our concerts. And we had, I think, 4 or 5 concerts this year already, and I want to bring it to really to a higher level in 2025. Yeah. And also explore, of course, some other types of music, like electronic music. That is really, yeah, especially I'm really, really interested in that.

Wow.

Yeah, yeah. I didn't do much, but I, I have really this very big wish to, to explore more.

Really? Oh, how wild is that?

Yeah, yeah. It's just incredible because as I told you, I improvised so much in my childhood, early teenage years, and I had also some bands and I had a very specific language and I never knew what it was till I kind of discovered ambient. I mean, things like Four Tet, for instance, or John Hopkins, among many more. Where I feel that that's maybe also part of my music vision and my identity and what I really like. And I have to say what it has been really inspiring me very much is also some Japanese ambient, like Mayday, and particularly Susumu Yokota. He might be a bit forgotten now, unfortunately. He passed away, I think, 10 years ago. But he is just incredible for me. And I've been listening to a lot while being in Japan because he kind of, I mean, it's very often that he loops like just little fragments of classical musical pieces, sometimes even just one chord, but you recognize it in the way it's made. And he puts, I mean, like, I mean, he makes like the most accomplished and highly sophisticated music out of it. And that inspires me very much. And I mean, in the century in which we are, we are also open to, to explore that a bit.

Sure. And, you know, honestly, yeah. In these, this day and age, you can really have multiple sort of identities as a musician, right? Yeah. It's not just one thing.

Yeah, exactly. And I think it doesn't, it doesn't have to be something that you will necessarily like, like show up. I mean, even if you do that for yourself. Helps you to develop like many other fields of, I mean, in my case, my playing. I mean, for instance, when I started hearing that, I think many things opened into my approach, even with Chopin or Schumann or I don't know, or Bach, maybe especially Bach. As I also like a lot like Wendy Carlos that synthesized lots of his works. And, or, Delia Derbyshire is less known. But yeah, it shows that our music can work in any, really in any setting. It's really nice.

Thank you for sharing all this. So, so for our wonderful listeners, if you are in the New York City metro area on February 28th, 2025, or even if you are not but would love to visit the city Don't miss José Navarro Silverstein's exciting solo piano recital at Marking Hall. Tickets are selling fast, so head over to the Foundation for Bolivian Artists website at bolivianartistfoundation.org/opus2. The link is also listed in the description of this special episode. From there, you'll be directed to the Kaufman Center website to purchase your tickets. And here's something special just for our listeners: use the exclusive promo code OPUS2 at checkout to receive $20 off of the $45 ticket price. So that's a, that's a nice huge deal, right? Yes. Also, to learn more about José, uh, and his incredible artistry, please visit his website at navarrosilverstein.com. And if you would like to learn more about the foundation and support its mission, please visit bolivianartistfoundation.org. Once again, all the links are in the show notes. So, José, best of luck with the 65th Busoni International Piano Competition and also your, of course, upcoming solo piano recital at Merkin Hall. I'll be there on the 28th, and I can't really wait to hear you perform and meet you afterward.

Same. And thank you so much, Yukimi, for your time and for these interesting questions that really helped me. And that I think, as I said, are important things to think about.

Well, thank you. Thank you for opening up and then answering all these questions. Thank you. And don't miss our first full episode of 2025 featuring Claire Longendijk, concert pianist and recording artist, premiering next Tuesday. Wednesday, January 14th at 8 PM Eastern time. Thank you for listening.