PONCE PROJECT MUSIC FOUNDATION is a non-profit organization founded by Mexican pianist Omar Herrera Arizmendi. Promoting the Latin American repertoire had always been in his mind and in the early 2000s he started performing intimate piano recitals at private homes. After securing enough private donors to support an opening season the organization was born in the summer of 2019.
The opening 2019-2020 season included five concerts taking place, of all places, at the Czech Center Museum in Houston, Texas. The pandemic forced canceling the last two events and in early 2021 a Virtual Season reached thousands of viewers.
The organization has matured in just a few years and its focus has changed from only having a performance season to devoting many resources to the research and production of music scores and recordings.
After securing major grants from different organizations, the 2024 season will present some of its most ambitious and far-reaching projects. One is PONCE 243: complete works for piano. It consists of 16 solo recitals plus 1 with orchestra, featuring 22 pianists from different nationalities in coordination with 13 institutions. It will be presented in the most important halls in Mexico City in August 2024, and in Houston in September 2024. One key aspect of PONCE 243 is the publication of all 243 works by Ponce.
The other equally important event is the SECOND INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION featuring works by Ponce. It is the only of its kind in the world and its main goal is the promotion of the repertoire among the young.
