Rut del Toro

Master of Music, Vocal Performance

Rut del Toro is a Mexican classical-trained pianist. She studied her Bachelor’s degree at ESAY in Mérida, Yucatán with Prof. Irina Decheva. While completing her degree, she served as Piano Professor for Music Academies in the city while also being a piano accompanist for strings and chamber music groups, performing in many cities around Mexico.

After completing her bachelor's degree, Rut earned her Master's degree in Piano Performance from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley with Dr. Brendan Kinsella. In the School of Music department, she obtained a graduate assistantship for the duration of her Master's studies. Her duties included piano accompaniment for all singers, string studios, and recording artists. She also provided lessons for undergrad piano students.

As a pianist, she has taken many masterclasses with renowned pianists, such as Olga Chkourak, David Kaplan, Risa Iwai, Greg DeTurck, Alex McDonald, Antonio Carbonell, David Korevaar, Jonathan Tsay, and Polina Bespalko. She frequently performs with Fernando Garcia (cellist) Mexican repertoire and major cello sonatas.

She believes that each student has a unique way of approaching the piano naturally. Her main goal is to focus on technique and musicality as a foundation. She gives each student a choice of several standard classical repertoires that focus on the student's strengths and weaknesses.