Meet Carlos Manuel Vargas | Classical pianist and educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Carlos Manuel Vargas and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Carlos Manuel, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I was born and raised in Santiago, Dominican Republic. I believe that the richness of my culture and its music has highly influenced my views on music making and my willingness to explore different genres. Because of this, at this stage of my career I have found lots of joy on including pieces from my native country and other latin american countries that share similar traits on my concert programs.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a classical pianist and educator currently living in Boston, Massachusetts. At the moment, there are a few projects of mine that I am very proud of and excited to see them come in to fruition: My debut album which will be released in the spring of 2024, acting as artistic director of the Roxbury Concert Series and of course, my community work through the Roxbury Piano Program. The solo album I will be releasing will feature a selection of pieces of music that has been influential to me and I chose each track of the piece with a person(s) in mind. The album which will be titled Souvenirs is an homage to those that have helped me and the music that has influenced me.
The Roxbury Concert Series aims to showcase the vibrant and diverse talent that coexists within the city of Boston. Offering a series of events across multiple genres and disciplines, RCS intends to bring the highest level of artistry to the heart of the Roxbury neighborhood using as its main venue the iconic Roxbury Branch of the Boston Public Library. I am very excited for the future of this initiative and in a few weeks we will announcing some exciting partnerships that will really boost our efforts.
As an educator, besides my responsibilities as part of the piano faculty of the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, I cherish a community program called the Roxbury Piano Program. I have leading this effort since 2008 and I am proud to say that since then over 300 children have received free music lessons through the program.

Lastly …I am very excited for my concerts this year…lots of chamber music and recitals promoting my debut album!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to dedicate this shoutout to my family and my girlfriend who have been supporting me throughout the past years unconditionally

Website: www.carlosmanuelvargas.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/carlosvpiano

Youtube: @carlosvpiano

Image Credits
Raymon Elstad, Tatyana Bronstein