Andrew Vargas

Young Steinway Artist Andrew Vargas engages audiences with his virtuosic and confident command of the piano. He is often praised for his mature musical artistry, sense of harmonic color, impressive technique, and for giving his audiences an exciting and energetic performance. As a National Finalist in the MTNA Senior Piano Division, Vargas participated in the MTNA finals in Baltimore, Maryland in March 2017. In June 2016, he participated in PianoTexas International Academy and Festival where he achieved first place in the PianoTexas concerto competition and performed Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra under the baton of internationally-renown Irish concert pianist/conductor, Barry Douglas. Vargas has also placed first two years in a row in the Bradshaw and Buono International Piano Competition and has performed twice at Carnegie Hall as a result.

An avid composer, his compositions have been recognized and applauded. In 2016, his piano solo suite, Phantasms, was the National First Place Composition Winner for the National Federation of Music Clubs (NFMC) and a final selection in the ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Competition. According to judges, Phantasms is a "Tour de Force" and "demonstrates a great deal of compositional skill, is harmonically courageous, superbly crafted, and is truly a valuable contribution to the piano literature." Currently, Vargas is exploring the art song genre and has set Robert Frost’s poem Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening for piano and alto. He is also currently setting Frost’s poem The Road Not Taken. Besides exploring the possibilities of the art song, Vargas has also recently composed for string quartet and has written a piano sonata. Andrew Vargas resides in Fort Worth, Texas. In 2019, he received numerous academic, composition, and artistic scholarships. As a Nordan Young Artist, he studies Piano Performance at Texas Christian University under the guidance of Dr. Tamás Ungár.

Andrew Vargas is a Young Steinway Artist.