Colors of Colombia

Colors from Colombia is a voice and piano lecture recital by tenor David Rivera Bozón and pianist Héctor Vargas Bonilla. 

This performance explores emblematic pieces by major Colombian composers, highlighting their sounds and connecting each artist’s life with the creation of their works and the social events of the time that influenced their musical practice.

David Rivera Bozón, Tenor

A Colombian tenor based in Boston, Bozón is recognized internationally for his extraordinary talent and warm personality.  

Bozón has performed extensively, bringing his music to a wide variety of communities. For his efforts, he has been recognized by the Massachusetts Senate and House of Representatives for outstanding engagement in cultural and arts events in the state of Massachusetts, and by the Pirandello Lyceum for his exceptional contribution to Italian heritage in the United States.

Some recent engagements include: Fritz in L’Amico Fritz with West End Lyric Opera; Canio in Pagliacci and Mario Cavaradossi in Tosca with Opera 51; Nemorino in Elisir d'Amore with Boston Opera Collaborative; Alfredo in La Traviata with MassOpera; and Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly with Central City Opera. Additionally, he has performed La Resurrección de la Fe with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Bogotá, and An Opera Celebration featuring the UNAL Choir and Orchestra. Other engagements include La Misa Criolla with Assabet Valley Mastersingers, Chariot Jubilee with Nashoba Valley Chorale, Mozart Requiem with Masterworks Chorale, and Music for a Better Tomorrow: A Recital Pro-NAGLY with Felix Jarrar. He was also a guest artist at the Head of The Charles Regatta and performed music by Carol Koffinke with Milton Community Concerts.

Some upcoming performances include Cabaret Alegria at Club Café in Boston, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni by Mozart with Boston Summer Opera, and The Tastes of Thanksgiving at The Arctic Playhouse in Rhode Island.

Bozón holds a master of music from the New England Conservatory and a bachelor’s degree from the National University of Colombia Conservatory.

To learn more, visit Bozón's website.

Héctor Vargas Bonilla, Pianist

Héctor Vargas Bonilla was born in Calarcá (Quindío), Colombia, and began his musical education at an early age at the Corporación Palosanto as a member of the Cosecha y Luna choir.

He began his piano studies at the Institute of Fine Arts of the University of Quindío, which he complemented with private lessons.

Subsequently, he graduated with a bachelor of music from the Technological University of Pereira in 2016, where he studied piano and lyrical singing. He pursued a master of music with an emphasis in piano at EAFIT University, graduating in 2023.

He has performed in international music festivals such as La Via dei Concerti in Italy (2014); the Suzuki Festival of Peru in Lima (2017); the Santa Catarina Music Festival FEMUSC in Jaraguá do Sul, Brazil (2018); and the Visiting Artist Series at Berklee College of Music in Boston (2018). He performed as a solo pianist with the EAFIT Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Kapellmeister Kirlianit Cortéz Galves at the Festival el Canto Nos Une 2022 in Medellín, Colombia. He received a scholarship from the Sicily International Piano Festival & Competition, held in Italy during the summer of 2023, and gave a solo recital at the Sant Martí de Besalú Chapel in Girona, Spain.

In the pedagogical field, he has studied the philosophy of the Suzuki method and piano teaching strategies in Bogotá and Lima with the Suzuki Associations. Since 2017, he has been teaching at the Institute of Fine Arts of the University of Quindío in the city of Armenia (Quindío), Colombia.