Pianist

Ray Capiral was born on Jan 30, 1983 and took too up the piano formally at age 15. He could learn complex pieces just by ear, and began a self-directed course of study that would have him performing pinnacle works of Chopin and Beethoven after just one year of study. He became a student of Jason Phillips at the Pasadena Conservatory of Music (Pasadena, CA). After graduating from Herbert Hoover High School in 2001, Mr. Capiral began teaching piano lessons, and he attended Pasadena City College where he received his Associate in Arts degree in music performance (2006); he then attended UCLA and graduated with his Bachelor in Arts degree in music composition (2009). Throughout much of his formative years as a pianist, Capiral studied with Mario Feninger who was himself a master pianist and composer and received much of his training from Nadia Boulanger and Mario’s own mother, Teresa de Rogatis. Mr. Capiral also accompanied and performed extensively around Los Angeles. He worked as a first grade Teacher Aide at Saint Paul the Apostle School in Westwood, CA (2008-2010), before relocating to San Francisco, CA, in 2011. As a struggling musician during his early years in the San Francisco Bay Area, Mr. Capiral discovered Methodism and knitting, and he served as Music Director at Open Door United Methodist Church (Richmond, CA) and Pianist/Organist at Mira Vista United Church of Christ (El Cerrito, CA) from 2013-2016 before accepting the position of Music Director at Bethany United Methodist Church (San Francisco, CA,),  He held that post from 2016-2020. Mr. Capiral moved to New York City on Feb. 1, 2020, and worked under Bill Capone at Arts Management Group in the service of some of the world’s greatest performing artists, until the 2020 pandemic halted the industry and he decided to move back to SF in June of that year. He later rejoined AMG and now works remotely from his home in Oakland, CA. He concurrently works as the Collaborative Liturgical Accompanist (pianist & organist) and Assistant Music Director at Saint Ignatius Church (University of San Francisco [USF]) in San Francisco, CA, and has most recently collaborated with the National Children’s Chorus (San Francisco chapter), Cantarecon vivo, and Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choirs as aTeaching Artist, youth choir director, and piano accompanist to elementary and middle school choirs. Mr. Capiral has an active private piano studio working with piano students of many ages, levels, and backgrounds.