Get to Know Guillermo

Guillermo de la Garza, Pianist. Standing outside smiling.
See Professional Résumé

Praised for “incendiary aplomb and technical control” (El Paso Inc.), Mexican American pianist Guillermo de la Garza enjoys an active career as a soloist and collaborator, with performances throughout the United States, Mexico, and Europe. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Texas at El Paso with a B.M. in Keyboard Performance, where he studied with Dr. Dena Kay Jones, and holds a Graduate Certificate in Injury Preventive Keyboard Technique from Salem College, where he studied with Dr. Barbara Lister-Sink and Dr. Amy Zigler.

For seven seasons, Guillermo served as principal pianist for El Paso Opera, where he coached Resident Artists and performed as rehearsal and pit pianist for the company’s productions. During his tenure, he worked with conductors and directors including Brian DeMaris, Kathleen Kelly, Robert Tweten, and Jorge Parodi. At UTEP, he worked as staff collaborative pianist for the music department and served as music director for the university’s opera program. An experienced choral pianist, he has also collaborated with conductors including Z Randall Stroope and Reginal Wright. Recently, in 2025, he served as music director for Music On Site’s production of Amahl and the Night Visitors in Wichita, Kansas.

As a soloist, Guillermo has appeared with the El Paso Symphony Orchestra, UTEP Symphony Orchestra, El Paso del Norte Philharmonic Orchestra, and Fa Music World Symphony Orchestra. He has also performed as an orchestral keyboardist with the El Paso Symphony Orchestra and Las Cruces Symphony Orchestra.

An advocate for video game music as a concert art form, Guillermo appeared as an invited solo pianist at Super MAGFest in 2024. His solo album, Piano Stories: Final Fantasy VI, features concert transcriptions from the 1994 game and was released in 2023 by Materia Collective.

Alongside his performance work, Guillermo maintains a private teaching studio, where his students have earned numerous UIL Sweepstakes honors and gone on to study piano at universities across the country.