Joseph Avila

Joseph Avila
San Cristóbal, 1990

Joseph Avila is a Venezuelan pianist and multidisciplinary artist whose career is distinguished by his creative approach to musical performance, artistic collaboration, and his focus on young audiences and storytelling. Trained at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna (MDW), he was a disciple of renowned pianist Lilya Zilberstein.

He is a founding member of Tocuyito, alongside violinist Dalina Ugarte. Their reinterpretation of traditional Venezuelan music has captured the attention of the Viennese music scene: As the Featured Ensemble 2023–24 of Jeunesse Österreich (in trio with cellist Santo Scala), they toured Austria with over 40 performances and earned a nomination for the 2024 Young Audience Music Awards (Bodø, Norway) as Best Small Ensemble for their staged concert Cambur Pin-Tón (Caecilia Thunnissen, Oorkaan / Jeunesse / Wiener Konzerthaus, 2024). Following the release of their debut album, Tocuyito Trio, at the RadioKulturhaus Wien (Waves Affaire, 2024), their debuts are scheduled for the 2025–26 season at iconic venues such as the Wiener Musikverein, the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, and the Luxembourg Philharmonic.

In addition, he co-founded Bululú (also in duo with Ugarte), an audiovisual and experimental project. Upcoming theatrical productions include Dodo und Tatz: Ri, Ra, Rutsch (Julia Ruthensteiner) at the Wiener Musikverein and Mini-Catatumbo (Avila / Ugarte) at the Wienerwald Festival, both slated for 2025. Previous productions have premiered at Kultursommer Wien (tränen/lachen, Benedikt Arnold); the Wiener Konzerthaus (Allez hop: Ohrenschmaus mit Blumenstrauß, Avila / Ugarte / Babits / Schober / OMAi); Brucknerhaus Linz (Mini.Music – Planet Molldurio, Dürrschmid / Meier / Leonhard); Porgy & Bess (Triolino | Hui, wie bunt!, Arnold / Lateva / Jeunesse) and PODIUM.festival Mödling (Der Zauberkoffer, Avila / Ugarte).

Recently appointed Artistic Director of the Melody Factory Foundation for youth and music, committed to promoting classical music from early childhood in Central Switzerland, he has participated in diverse music education initiatives such as SUPERAR Wien (Wiener Sängerknaben / Caritas), passwort:klassik (Wiener Philharmoniker) and MyGroove (Martin Grubinger / Red Bull) and served as a Lecturer in Chamber Music at the Gulda School of Music in Vienna.

Winner of the Best Piano Performance award at the 28th International Johannes Brahms Song Competition (Pörtschach, 2021), he has shared the stage with artists such as Paul Gulda, Jonathan Stockhammer, Anton Gerzenberg, Nora Romanoff-Schwarzberg, Christina Parson, Sarah Marie Kramer, Daniel Auner, María Mulata and Laura Valbuena, performing in the United States, Italy, France, Germany, Austria, and Venezuela. Avila is also co-curator of the Outta Tune classical/pop-rock concert series in collaboration with the Viennese record label Assim Records.

As a composer and arranger, his music has been broadcast by Austrian State Radio and Television (ORF) and Vienna Classical Radio (Radio Klassik Stephansdom). His other projects include the production of the full-length documentary Hommage à Heinrich, dedicated to cellist Heinrich Schiff and featuring legendary pianist Elisabeth Leonskaja (IDAGIO, LOFT Music / NEOS Records, 2023).

He has received scholarships from prestigious institutions and programs, including the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (MDW), the Sustainable Development and Arts Scholarship from TOTAL Oil & Gas (Caracas/Paris), Jeunesse–Oorkaan Academy for Young Audiences (Amsterdam), the Yehudi Menuhin Live Music Now Foundation (Vienna), the Franz Schubert Institute (Baden bei Wien), the Patty and Gustavo Cisneros Scholarship (Aspen), and the Esperus Art Fund (Bordeaux).

(June 2025)