Hailed by the Arizona Daily Star as a pianist with “technical prowess, balletic grace, warm tones, and unwavering devotion to the score,” pianist Aryo Wicaksono (MM graduate 2006 – University of Arizona, BM graduate with Honors 2004 – University of Arizona) has performed in many venues and festivals in Arizona, Los Angeles, New York City, Fort Worth, Texas; Las Vegas, and Sonora, México. He has been a scholarship young artist member of the Mannes International Keyboard Festival in New York City, Las Vegas Music Festival Liberace Scholar, and Texas Van Cliburn Festival-Institute. As a first prize winner of both the Tucson Symphony Young Artist Concerto Competition and the University of Arizona President’s Concerto Competition in 2001, he has performed Liszt Totentanz S 126 for Piano and Orchestra on various concerts in Tucson and also on tour to Mexico in Spring 2002. He won First Place on the 2005 Green Valley Concert Association Piano Competition and was the guest artist for Green Valley Friends Music Festival in January 2006, celebrating Mozart’s 250th Birthday Anniversary. Locally, Aryo Wicaksono has been a frequent solo recitalist or chamber musician at the St. Philips Friends of Music Concert Series, Arizona Academy Village Society Concert Series, St. Marks Concert Series, Green Valley Concert Association Series, Village Friends of Green Valley Concert Series, Santa Catalina Concert Series, Steinway Gallery of Tucson Concert Series, Marshall Foundation Community Almost-Free-Fridays Concerts, and La Zarzuela Inn Concert Series. With cellist Michael Ronstadt in his previous Rillito Cello-Piano Duo team, Mr. Wicaksono toured the state of Sonora, Northern Mexico, in December 2005, performing in San Carlos for the San Carlos Performing Arts Council, Hermosillo, and Alamos Hacienda De Los Santos Concert Series. In the spring of 2003, he performed Stravinsky Les Noces for four pianos, percussion, and choir (as the first lead pianist), under conductor Dr. Bruce Chamberlain and Arizona Choir. In March 26, 2005, along with Turkish soprano Asli Yesil, Mr. Wicaksono gave the world premiere of the young Mexican composer Ana Paola Santillan Alcocer “En La Distancia,” a piece in three movements for soprano and prepared piano. This concert was part of the “Global Perspective” Concert, involving performers and composers from five countries, three continents. Aryo Wicaksono began his working relationship with the Arizona Onstage Productions, a local music-theatre-musicals company, with the Heart-and-Music production in February 2006. Recently in March 2006 he was a co-music director, with conductor Martin Majkut, on the Arizona Onstage Productions of the “Brundibar” Children’s Opera by the Czech Jewish composer Hans Krasa. He was the music director / pianist-in-residence for the Arizona Onstage Productions for the year 2006, for ELEGIES – LOOKING UP (composer William Finn) in November 2006. This ELEGIES – LOOKING UP won AZ Daily Star “Mac Award” 2006 for Best Musical in Tucson, and Tucson Weekly “Best of Awards” Best Musical in Tucson for the season 2006-2007, against all Broadway productions (visiting from NYC or local companies) in Tucson. He was recently the music director and pianist for Studio Connections, for Jonathan Larson's Musical "Tick-Tick-Boom" in Tucson, Arizona, in the month of February - April 2008. Mr. Wicaksono is now an artist-teacher-in-residence for the “Opening Minds through Arts” (OMA) – Tucson Unified School District (TUSD) program. He recently made his orchestral debut with the St. Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra, in St. Petersburg, Russia, in July 2008, performing Prokofiev Piano Concerto no. 1 in D-flat major Op. 10. The concert was sold out and he is immediately re-engaged for the next following season to perform with the same orchestra again. Mr. Aryo Wicaksono made his official recital Washington DC solo recital debut in the prestigious Embassy Concert Series in December 2008. As a composer, he actively writes for plays, musicals, and ballet dance productions. His recent composition work, an incidental music for the Teatro Jaguar Luna based in San Francisco and Mexico, entitled "Jaguar Magician of the Moon" was on tour in the summer of 2008 at prestigious summer festivals in Columbus OH (June 2008), Washington DC (July 2008), and New York City (August 2008). He is also member of the acclaimed Swara Sonora trio, with Kathryn Mueller (soprano), and Nathan Krueger (baritone). Swara Sonora Trio recently embarked on its Asian debut tour, Peace Tour in August of 2009 to Jakarta - Jogjakarta - Bali - and Surabaya to do performances and masterclasses as well as raising funds for UNICEF Indonesia Children Immunization program, Rotary Club End-Now Polio Program and local charities. Upcoming engagements for this 2009-2010 include Prokofiev 3rd Piano Concerto with Nusantara Symphony Orchestra of Indonesia and recitals in October 2009, return engagement to Washington DC Embassy Series, return engagement with the St. Petersburg Symphony in Russia, two weeks artist residency in November 2009 in United Arab Emirates (Dubai-Sharjah-Abu Dhabi), performing Prokofiev 1st Piano Concerto with UAE Philharmonic, presenting two recitals, and master-classes for the American University of Sharjah, and Swara Sonora Trio return tour to Indonesia (planned for September 2010).
