Narciso Solero

“The best pedagogy training I have ever received in my life has been in Northern Virginia, observing the playing of top students, and in conversations with those teachers.”

Early Experiences

Narciso grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and started piano studies at age 5. His mother was his first teacher — and he quit after 10 minutes into his first lesson.  But he continued to play on his own, improvising at the piano and then asked his Mom for lessons again when he was 8. His mother, who is not a piano teacher but had played in her younger years,  observed that he was learning his weekly assignment in a matter of a few days, so she found a ”real” teacher. When he was 12 years old, he began study with a pianist/teacher, Judy Petersen, who received her degrees at Juilliard.  Music was a big part of his childhood, as his father played a lot of recordings of Chopin for him (mainly Artur Rubinstein) and opera as well. Narciso also studied violin from the age of 10 through his undergraduate studies, and in fact was in a professional orchestra, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, in high school.

Did you know that Narciso Solero worked as a DJ at several classical radio stations? He still carries his FCC radio license in his wallet? He also was a classical reviewer for a newspaper in Michigan for five years. Narciso received his M.M. in Piano Performance from Indiana University. He graduated with  his B.M. in Piano Performance from DePauw University in Indiana.

Narciso loves the endless possibilities for piano. Take for example, the Franz Liszt transcriptions of Beethoven’s symphonies where one person can play an entire symphony! Narciso absolutely loves chamber music! He has played a lot (including at some fabulous venues) since moving to the area in 1997.

Personal Interests

When he isn’t teaching or practicing, Narciso enjoys listening to piano music and opera of all kinds. His dad introduced him to opera at a young age and he continues to attend and listen to operas regularly. He also enjoys pop music and reading. In addition, he frequents the vast array of restaurants in the area with cuisines from all around the world. He likes to cook—even time-consuming recipes—and he is a cat lover.

Composition

Narciso composes on occasion, mostly music for kids. He has written about a dozen little concertos for kids, plus some solo literature for my young students. His goal in writing is to provide appropriate level material for whomever he is writing, and generally personalize it for each student: for example, he once composed a pair of concertos for identical twins that he was teaching at the time — with texture and style matching the distinct personalities of the two girls.  He also composed a handful of pieces for one of his students about 14 years ago inspired by stories about her cat. She loved working on them; it was great motivation for her to practice and play them well, knowing she was playing pieces written about her cat! He has composed lots of other little pieces as well with the goal of making them appealing for public performance.

NVMTA

When asked about the influence of NVMTA on his career, Narciso said, “I have become a much better teacher over the past 27 years that I have been a member by having my students enter the competitions, festivals, and theory and sight-reading exams. I have learned a lot about administrative organization by chairing two of our major events. These skills have helped me in my own studio management.”

Narciso’s advice to new members:

  • Your best life is just outside your comfort zone.

  • Don’t be afraid to get involved in the many activities for your students

  • Get to know the many offerings the Northern Virginia Music Teachers Association offers

  • Attend the events before you put students in so you understand the level

  • Always strive to be the best teacher possible

  • Seek out wisdom of members whose work and experience you admire

NVMTA Service

Currently Narciso serves as chair for Piano Achievement Awards and Theory Mastery Day. He admits that both of these events take quite a bit of work, but says that he absolutely LOVES chairing both of them! He was the Program Chair from 1999 to 2003, co-chaired General Recitals from 2005-2006 and Judged Recitals from 2006-2007. Narciso was a panelist for a discussion on teaching for a Northern Virginia Music Teachers Association program in 2004 and presented “Turning an Ordinary Studio into an Extraordinary One” in 2018. Outside of NVMTA, he was VMTA President from 2019-2021 and Washington, D.C. Music Teachers Association President from 2001-2005.

Career Highlights

Some of Narciso’s career highlights include performing in Carnegie Hall, performing concertos with an orchestra, performing chamber music on the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center (here are two examples: https://youtu.be/Nh7xaFoaHKo?si=WGx3rAqk8-i1dOZ3, https://youtu.be/gMIpDIqtQN0?si=9syVY1DI40pDYm8n), and touring overseas.

Narciso shared a particularly memorable performance experience that happened when he was performing as pianist with a group of touring singers in Asia. It was in the city of Gwangju, South Korea in 1990. The American Cultural Center closed for about 18 months because of anti-American violence. The American Cultural Center reopened the morning of the concert, as Narciso’s group was the first group of Americans to perform after it reopened.

On the morning of the concert, it was firebombed by protesters. Narciso was terrified about the performance because he had been told he might need to make a swift exit from the stage. Apparently there may have been violent protesters who sneaked in. He walked out on stage, and there were about 20 high school age kids specifically sitting on the keyboard side, and the hall was packed. He had never been greeted so enthusiastically in his life! The concert went off smoothly, was well-received, and they got a standing ovation. He had to autograph about 30 programs after the concert! 

Bottom line though, Naricso says that, “As a teacher, any time I can inspire a student and guide them through their study so they fall in love with music is a proud moment.”

Concluding Thoughts

Narciso says, “I feel very satisfied with my musical life, but I would definitely say that from my vantage point now. I would not have let insecurities or negative criticism get into my head in my 20s so that I listened to those negative thoughts more than I trusted my instincts. Learning is a lifelong process — it is what makes every day feel like a day filled with endless possibilities to grow as a teacher and performer. My musical goal is to become the best teacher and best performer I can possibly be. It is a never-ending process, and it is what makes it exciting to wake up each day!”