Fred Sturm, an accomplished pianist, has devoted more than twenty-five years to interpreting Latin American music, particularly that of Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos. In recent decades, he has focused on the works of Mexican composers, especially Federico Ibarra, performing and recording all of Ibarra’s piano music in a 2012 CD release, Federico Ibarra: Music for Piano. The composer himself praised Sturm’s interpretations for their expressive depth and dynamic precision. That same year, Sturm organized a four-concert Villa-Lobos festival at the University of New Mexico, marking the composer’s 125th birthday, and later curated a two-concert Ibarra festival in 2016. His work continues with explorations of piano music by Arturo Márquez, Alejandro Rutty, and Mario Carro, among others.
Sturm’s seven recordings include En Clave: Piano Music of Márquez, Ibarra and Others (2023), Sonidos de Nueva España (2010), and Brazilian Soul: Piano Music of Villa-Lobos (2008), all earning acclaim for their stylistic versatility and sensitivity. Based in Albuquerque, NM, Sturm has also spent over thirty years as a piano technician at the University of New Mexico, bridging performance and craftsmanship through teaching and writing for the Piano Technicians Journal. His historical research includes translating The Art of Tuning by Claude Montal and publishing numerous scholarly articles on piano history and temperament, available on his Art of Tuning website, ResearchGate, and Academia.edu.
Read more and listen online at https://fredsturm.net.