Costa Rican pianist with an extensive piano career both abroad and in Costa Rica since her debut at the National Theater of Costa Rica in 1981, becoming the first Costa Rican pianist to offer a solo piano recital in that theater in the last 29 years. .
Her career has been described by Costa Rican critics as: Multifaceted, the professional career of the Costa Rican pianist, composer and commentator Pilar Aguilar. Winner of the 2001 National Music Award, the highest award that exists in our country.
She began her piano studies with Irma Schaubeck, under the direction of her mother Grace Muñoz de Aguilar, continuing later with Maestro Carlos Enrique Vargas (pianist, composer, conductor, organist) one of the most prestigious Costa Rican musicians of the 20th century, formed in Italy and Germany. From 1975-1978 she studied at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester-England, being her piano teacher Derryck Wyndham (student of Arthur Schnabel and Moriz Rosental, student of Liszt). In these years she receives master's classes with Sir William Glock and Vlado Perlemuter (Ravel's student). In 1979 she obtained her "Bachelor of Piano Performance" at Trinity College of Music in London.
In 1983 y 1985 she took several master's courses in Lucerne -Switzerland with Malcon Frager and M. Horszowsky, focused on the work of Scarlatti and Brahms, among others, being chosen in all courses for the final concert . In 1985 she attended the Paloma O´Shea Pianistic Interpretation Course in Santander-Spain and received classes with the austrian pianist Alexander Jenner, professor at the Vienna Conservatory, and with the Spanish pianist Manuel Carra. Here she is chosen to make a recording of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" for Spanish Radio and TV at the closing concert of the course
She has been a soloist four times with the National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica with whom she has performed: 1983 Saint-Saënz's “Concert No. 2”, under the direction of Chilean Maestro Agustín Cullell; 1985 Gershwin's “Rhapsody in Blue”, directed by the Mexican Idelfonso Cedillo; 1987 el “Concert No. 1” by Chopin under the direction of the American Maestro Irwin Hoffman and in 1988 the “Concerto for two Pianos” by Poulenc, which she performs with the French pianist Scarlett Brebion, under the baton of the Costa Rican Lic. Luis Diego Herra. All these concerts had 2 to 3 repetitions. In addition, she has performed numerous solo piano and chamber music recitals with prestigious Costa Rican and foreign artists.
Resistance and aspirations for the bicentennial".
In November 2021, she was awarded the "Reca Mora" Composition Prize awarded by ACAM. This award is given to composers whose work has transcended nationally and internationally, and whose artistic and personal life should be a positive example for other generations.
In June 2021, the organizers of the "International Latin American Flute Festival" in Colombia, choose the work Cosmos, written by Aguilar, as a mandatory work in that year's contest.
In March 2021, Pilar is chosen by Radio Universidad de CR as "composer of the month".
As a composer, her greatest production has been from 2000. Her work specializes in chamber music with piano. Her musical language is neo-romantic; Her works have been classified as compositions with great melodic development and the use of Latin American rhythms.
Concert tours abroad:
1. Her first tour to the USA was in 1988, invited by the IDB to Washington, where she offered a solo piano recital in the Andres Bello Hall of the IDB, continuing later to North Carolina, to South Carolina University where she repeated the same recital and another for four hands with the pianist Paul Tardiff.
2. In March 1995, she toured one month through four US states with the pianist Nancy Paddleford, where they offered more than 14 concerts and Aguilar gave 7 conferences in several universities. They also performed Mozart's "Double Concerto" with the St. Olaf Symphony Orchestra in Minnesota which was broadcast live on radio in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
3. On Feb. 1996 she is invited for a month as "Artist in Residence" by the University of Wisconsin - USA where she offers a piano recital, gives 4 conferences on various topics: feminism, political science, democracy in CR, etc. and mixes with various faculty to exchange knowledge and experiences.
4. In June 1996, she was invited to Rome by the Embassy of Costa Rica to perform a solo piano recital at the Instituto Italolatinoamericano, in addition to other activities.
Her studies:
She started the piano at the age of 5 with her mother under the direction of Irma Schaubeck, continuing from the age of 14 to 18 with the Costa Rican composer, conductor, organist and pianist Carlos Enrique Vargas. From 1975-1978 he studied at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester-England, her piano teacher being Derryck Wyndham (student of Arthur Schnabel and Moriz Rosental, student of Liszt). In these years he received master's classes with Sir William Glock and Vlado Perlemuter (Ravel's student). In 1979 she obtained her "Bachelor's Degree in Piano Performance" at Trinity College of Music in London. In 1983 and 1985 she took several master's courses in Lucerne-Switzerland with Malcon Frager and M. Horszowsky focused on the work of Scarlatti and Brahms, among others, being chosen in all courses for the final concert. In 1985 he attended the Paloma O'Shea Pianistic Interpretation Course in Santander-Spain and received classes with the Austrian pianist Alexander Jenner, professor at the Vienna Conservatory, and with the Spanish pianist Manuel Carra. Here she is chosen to make a recording of Gershwin's “Rhapsody in Blue” for Spanish Radio and TV at the closing concert of the course.
Soloist with symphony orchestras:
She has been a soloist four times with the National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica with whom she has performed: 1983 the "Concert No. 2" by Saint-Saënz, under the direction of the Chilean Maestro Agustín Cullell; 1985 Gershwin's “Rhapsody in Blue”, directed by the Mexican Idelfonso Cedillo; 1987 Chopin's “Concierto No. 1” under the direction of the American Maestro Irwin Hoffman and in 1988 Poulenc's “Concierto for two Pianos”, which she performs with the French pianist Scarlett Brebion, under the baton of the Costa Rican Lic. Luis Diego Herra. All these concerts had 2 to 3 repetitions. In addition, she has performed numerous solo piano and chamber music recitals with prestigious Costa Rican and foreign artists.
In March 1996, she performed with the pianist Nancy Paddleford the "Mozart Double Piano Concerto" with the St. Olaf Symphony Orchestra in Minnesota-USA, which was broadcast live on both Minnesota and Wisconsin radio.
Concert tours abroad as a pianist:
Aguilar has performed numerous solo piano and chamber music recitals with prestigious artists.
Both Costa Ricans and foreigners, in Costa Rica and abroad.
1. Her first tour to the USA was in 1988, invited by the IDB to Washington, where she offered a solo piano recital in the Andres Bello Hall of the IDB, continuing later to North Carolina, to South Carolina University where she repeated the same recital and another for four hands with the pianist Paul Tardiff.
2. In March 1995, he toured four US states for a month with the four-handed duo together with the pianist Nancy Paddleford, where they offered more than 14 concerts and Aguilar gave 7 lectures at various universities. They also performed Mozart's Double Concerto with the St. Olaf Symphony Orchestra in Minnesota which was broadcast live on radio in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
3. On Feb. 1996 she is invited for a month as "Artist in Residence" by the University of Wisconsin - USA where she offers a piano recital, gives 4 conferences on various topics: feminism, political science, democracy in CR, etc. and mixes with various faculty to exchange knowledge and experiences
.4. In June 1996, she was invited to Rome by the Costa Rican Embassy to perform a solo piano recital at the Italian-Latin American Institute, in addition to other activities.
Biography: as a pianist
E-mail:brahms1956@gmail.com