Today we’d like to introduce you to Larry.
Hi Larry, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I was born in Los Angeles to a Mexican mother and Salvadoran father. From a young age, I showed interest in music. At the time the Latin Rock band, Maná, was at their prime and my dad owned a few cassettes of their albums. I would set up a makeshift “drum” kit out of pots and pans and hit them with wooden spoons as the Maná songs played in the background, which my mom both enjoyed and got annoyed by.
My family soon after moved to Kansas City for more affordable living. The following year, my sister joined the 4th grade beginning string orchestra (a rare offering for a public school now). After a few years of hearing my sister play her violin, I also wanted to play a string instrument because it looked fun! I ended up joining the 4th grade program as well, deciding to play the cello because it sounded much lower and I didn’t have to stand for the entire class period! By the end of the school year, I auditioned for the local youth orchestra with Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and I was accepted into their 5-7th grade string orchestra.
I was either in 9th or 10th grade when I watched a video recording of Yo-Yo Ma performing the Elgar Cello Concerto with the Chicago Symphony on YouTube. It was one of the first results when you entered “cello concertos” into the search bar. I had never heard or seen a performance so moving, so inspiring! I didn’t think a video could be so impactful, and it almost seems trivial, but it was then and there that I realized I wanted to play the cello as my career.
However, the realization that I’d never taken private lessons hit me like a train. There weren’t many options that I was aware of, but the ones I knew of weren’t affordable for my family. I was so behind. I eventually was able to take some lessons with the cello instructor at my sister’s college, until my friend recommended I get a lesson with her teacher, Carter Enyeart, who happened to be the professor of cello at UMKC Conservatory. I was fortunate that both teachers understood my financial situation and accommodated me as best as they could. By that point though, I was already a senior in high school and to say I realized I was unprepared is an understatement, and I was fully aware of it. However, I did the best that I could, practicing hard and diligently.
Despite the cello professor’s initial hesitation, he saw how committed I was to learning and after a decent audition he accepted me into the cello studio at UMKC. Prof. Enyeart retired a few years into my undergraduate studies, but I was very lucky to have later completed two Bachelors degrees in Cello Performance and Music Theory, as well as my Masters degree in Cello Performance, under the incredible guidance of Professor Michael Mermagen. With Prof. Mermagen, I felt I truly learned about every aspect of playing cello at a high level.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As I mentioned earlier, I was so behind technically when I started college that it was overwhelming. Not only that, but when I started college there were very few Hispanic-Americans studying music than when I had left the Conservatory about 8 years later, so when I started studying I had a strong feeling of imposter syndrome as one of few Latinos in the music school. This plus being behind technically made the imposter syndrome very difficult to deal with, and although I tried my best not to show it, sometimes that feeling of not belonging and not being good enough really impacted my performances. It took me a really long time to find a strong sense of confidence in my musical and technical abilities.
Apart from two senior undergraduates, I was the only other undergrad in my cello studio in my first year of college, which, interestingly, was full of masters and doctoral students from all walks of life (one student had already played in the St. Louis Symphony for over 30 years at that point, but was pursuing a doctorate to teach at the college level). Meanwhile, I was still struggling with the fundamentals. In the end, being surrounded by so many people that were better than me was quite motivational and my cello colleagues would always help me when I asked for advice. There were also people who doubted my abilities. At the start of my second year, my orchestra professor at that time told me he didn’t think I should be pursuing music at all, which destroyed my motivation for a while, but with encouragement of family and friends, I kept moving forward, working and learning as much as I could. Years later when the orchestra professor was about to retire, he knew I’d proven him wrong.
One thing I learned over time is that there will always be people who appreciate what you do and what you have to offer, as well as others who doubt you or don’t appreciate you as much. I realized why not just try to achieve the goals I’ve set my mind to, regardless of what people think or say. If I believe those goals will have a positive impact not only on my life, but possibly on the lives of others, why not just go for them? I think this holds true not only as a musician, but really any field or aspiration.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a professional cellist based in Kansas City. I do a little bit of everything, but I mainly perform and teach. Most recently, I am proud and honored to have started a piano trio, the Lienzo Piano Trio, alongside my good friends violinist Galo Arboleda and pianist John Livingston. Together we are the first chamber music group based in Kansas City made up of Latin American musicians. In our first year together, we have already been named as a recipient of the 2026 ArtsKC Inspiration Grant and we are about to embark on our first international concert tour in Ecuador. I’m also an experienced orchestral musician, going into my fourth season with the Wichita Symphony and a seasoned church musician with Resurrection Leawood’s orchestra and string quartet as their principal cello.
As a teacher, I am proud to be a cello Teaching Artist at the nonprofit Harmony Project-KC. It’s been great seeing the program grow from about 30 students to about 400 today over the last 10+ years I’ve been there. While the nonprofit world does not come without its challenges, at the end of the day, the students are the stars and I’ve had the privilege of teaching several wonderful students during my time there. Additionally, I teach with the Base Academy of Music/KC Public Schools. There, I’ve assisted in teaching beginning orchestra students at Central Middle School. It is a challenging environment, but it is satisfying to witness the gradual appreciation for orchestra class throughout the course of the school year. Knowing the experiences I had as a Latino growing up in the Midwest, I am proud of the work I have done so far and I hope it has left a positive impact on the many people and communities I interact with in Kansas City.
What makes you happy?
It might sound a little cliché, but I am always happy making music with friends, whether it is in a chamber group or in a symphony orchestra! For as isolated as the experience of practicing one’s instrument is, the act of making music in a concert setting is ultimately a social experience because your goal as a performer is to interpret and communicate to the audience a certain feeling or emotion with each phrase of music. Apart from music, I always enjoy simply hanging out with friends and family. Playing the cello is also quite demanding on the body, so I also like to exercise to stay in shape, whether it’s walking/biking at the local trail, going to the gym, or most recently, indoor rock climbing. I love to travel as well, learning about the culture of different countries, and creating great memories from those experiences. I could list more things, but there are honestly many that make me happy.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lienzotrio.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lienzopianotrio/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Lienzo-Piano-Trio/61587506155446/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LienzoPianoTrio
