Ahmed Anzaldua

Ahmed Anzaldua is a Mexican classical pianist, teacher, and conductor of Egyptian descent. He is an active musician, performing in Mexico and the United States frequently as a soloist and conductor with orchestras, choirs, in recitals, and as a collaborative pianist. Ahmed Anzaldúa has eschewed competitions in favor of constantly learning new repertoire and championing new music. He currently lives in the city of Kalamazoo, Michigan, where he is part of the graduate program at Western Michigan University. He is also a member of the contemporary music ensemble Birds on a Wire, and an active freelance pianist, conductor, and teacher in the southwestern Michigan area. He presents Federico Mompou’s Musica Callada cycle, piano pieces based on the poetry of St. John of the Cross. Musica Callada is considered Mompou’s masterpiece that exemplifies his often incantatory, meditative sound. It employs very simple melodies but is tinged with sadness, melancholy and a nostalgic echo of a forgotten far-away land.