Joseph Avila
San Cristóbal

Joseph Avila is a Venezuelan pianist and multidisciplinary artist distinguished by his creative approach to musical performance, artistic collaboration, and his focus on young audiences and authentic storytelling. Trained at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna (MDW), he was a disciple of renowned pianist Lilya Zilberstein.

He is a founding member of TOCUYITO, alongside violinist Dalina Ugarte and since 2026 multi-percussionist Amir Wahba. Their fearless reinterpretation of traditional Venezuelan music has captured the attention of the international music scene: As the Featured Ensemble 2023–24 of Jeunesse Österreich (in trio with cellist Santo Scala), they toured Austria with over 40 performances and earned a nomination for the 2024 Young Audience Music Awards (Bodø, Norway) as Best Small Ensemble for their staged concert Viva Banana (Caecilia Thunnissen, Oorkaan / Jeunesse / Wiener Konzerthaus, 2024). Following the release of their debut album, Tocuyito Trio, at the RadioKulturhaus Wien (Waves Affaire, 2024), TOCUYITO debuted for the 2025–26 season at iconic venues such as the Wiener Musikverein, the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, and the Luxembourg Philharmonic and performances are scheduled in 2026-27 among others at the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg and the Grafenegg Festival.

He has shared stages across Europe with artists such as Paul Gulda, Jonathan Stockhammer, Anton Gerzenberg, Bryan Benner, Nora Romanoff-Schwarzberg, Christina Parson, Sarah Marie Kramer, Daniel Auner, Hannah Kandinsky and Laura Valbuena. As a composer and arranger, his music has been broadcast by Austrian State Radio and Television (ORF) and Vienna Classical Radio (Radio Klassik Stephansdom). His other projects include the production of the full-length documentary Hommage à Heinrich, dedicated to cellist Heinrich Schiff and featuring legendary pianist Elisabeth Leonskaja (IDAGIO, LOFT Music / NEOS Records, 2023).

He has received scholarships and prizes from prestigious institutions and programs, including the Sustainable Development and Arts Scholarship from TOTAL Oil & Gas (Mozarteum Caracas/Paris), Jeunesse–Oorkaan Academy for Young Audiences (Amsterdam), the Yehudi Menuhin Live Music Now Foundation (Vienna), the Franz Schubert Institute (Baden bei Wien), the International Brahms Competition (Pörtschach am Wörthersee), the Patty and Gustavo Cisneros Scholarship (Aspen), and the Esperus Art Fund (Bordeaux).