Aaron Prado, DMA (piano) is a pianist, composer, educator, and radio personality based in
San Antonio, Texas. Prado received a Doctorate of Musical Arts in piano performance at the
University of Texas at Austin’s Butler School of Music in 2014. Prior, Prado attended Columbia
University for undergraduate study and New York University for a Master’s Degree. From 2003-
2009, Prado was Music Director at Trinity University’s jazz radio station – KRTU 91.7FM –
where he is currently the host of “Aaron Prado Presents” – heard Sundays 2:00-4:00 p.m. In
2011, Prado debuted his “San Antonio Jazz Suite” – a large-scale composition scored for big
band, string quartet, and narration that tells the story of San Antonio. In 2015, Prado published a
book of transcriptions of solo recordings by jazz pianist Bill Evans (published by Hal Leonard).
In 2018, Prado received a grant from the Artist Foundation of San Antonio to compose “The
Hero’s Journey” - the piece premiered at the Instituto Cultural de Mexico. In 2019, Prado
released two albums: a sextet album “Live at Jazz, TX” and a trio album of original music called
“And Now…” Prado teaches and is President of the Faculty Senate at Northwest Vista College.
The piece “Sister Cities” was commissioned by Musical Bridges Around the World and
premiered in February 2018 during the International Music Festival. Featuring musicians from
Sister Cities across the globe, the piece celebrates the spirit of collaboration, cultural exchange,
and dialogue championed by the Sister Cities organization. Utilizing elements common to
countless cultures, including chant, the pentatonic scale, juxtaposition of triple and duple meters, and counterpoint, the piece features the musicians layering individual statements as
well as unison exclamations. Collective improvisation represents exchange of ideas, and the
perpetually ascending harmony of the climax suggests the heights to which we aspire as an
international community. My deepest gratitude to the musicians for bringing this piece to life on
the stage and now virtually as an affirmation of the power of music to strengthen connections in
the face of incredible suffering, upheaval, and turmoil.
