Astrid Morales Torres is an internationally recognized Mexican pianist whose extraordinary performances have been appreciated by audiences around the world, including the United States, Europe, Mexico and Latin America. As a passionate piano pedagogue, she also serves as Adjunct Professor of Piano and Piano Pedagogy at The University of Texas at Arlington.
Born in Mexico City, Astrid Morales is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance at Arizona State University with Robert Hamilton. During her studies, she also served as Faculty Associate at ASU. Astrid holds master’s degrees in Piano Performance, Piano Pedagogy and a Performer’s Diploma in Piano from Southern Methodist University, where she studied with Joaquín Achúcarro. In 2012, she graduated from the National Conservatory of Music in Mexico City under the guidance of Héctor Rojas.
Winner of the 2022 Puerto Rico Center for Collaborative Piano - Professional Division, Astrid has been awarded several prizes and scholarships including the Actos de Confianza Grant from the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures 2021, the 2014 General Concerto Competition at the Meadows School of the Arts in Dallas, TX, the 2011 Youth Mexican Prize, Grand Prix to Exceptional Talents and Best Interpretation of Mexican Music at the 2nd National Piano Competition “Petrof – Symphony – Pearl River”. In 2021, she was recognized as a Kawai Medallion Educator.
Astrid has had an intensive soloist career and has performed with orchestras and conductors such as: Mexico State Symphony Orchestra (Enrique Bátiz, Virgilio Valle and Gabriela Díaz Alatriste), Querétaro Philharmonic (José Guadalupe Flores), Meadows Symphony Orchestra (Paul Phillips), Nuevo León University Symphony (Eduardo Diazmuñoz), Mexico City Philharmonic (José Areán), National Polytechnic Institute Symphony Orchestra (Alfredo Ibarra and Enrique Barrios), Aguascalientes Symphony (Stephano Mazzoleni), Las Colinas Symphony (Robert Carter Austin), Women’s Orchestra of Arizona (Livia Gho), among many others.
As an advocate of Latin American music and an active performer of Mexican music, she recorded her first CD “Rimero Musical” with music of the Mexican composer Ladislao Juárez and collaborated in “El Oficio Mío” with Armando Rosas. As an active collaborative pianist, Morales was appointed as a faculty member at the North Texas Low Brass Festival and was the pianist for the Portland Opera To Go 2022 program and tour. Astrid served on faculty at the NorCal Music Festival and is the principal pianist of Las Colinas Symphony Orchestra.
Astrid is the Executive Director of Pedagogy at the Piano Industry Professionals and Producers Conference and is an active committee member of the following: Binational Cultural Forum of Mexican Artists, National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy, Arizona State Music Teachers Association, Dallas Music Teachers Association and the Puerto Rico Center for Collaborative Piano.
