Denise Apodaca

Denise has been on several teaching faculties and has served on several arts boards throughout the United States. She has performed throughout the United States as a soloist and as a chamber musician. Demonstrating her expertise in Latin American music, she has given several concerts in Mexico and the U.S. She has been an adjudicator for several area music teachers’ associations and has given several workshops on music education, piano technology, piano pedagogy, piano performance, and early childhood music. 

Denise is currently teaching faculty at Colorado State University where she teaches Music Appreciation and World Music. She is a faculty advisor for several clubs, fraternities, and sororities on campus. She was nominated for the Career Impact Award in the category of Distinguished Faculty Member of the Year and won Best Teacher of the Year Award 2016, was a GRAMMY Music Educator Award Nominee, awarded College of Liberal Arts Excellence in Teaching Award Winner and Colorado State University Honors Professor of the Year. 

Denise Apodaca received her Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the University of California at Santa Barbara with a minor in Spanish. She later received her Master of Music in Piano Performance and a second Master of Music in Piano Pedagogy from Northwestern University. She graduated with honors from both universities. She is a first-generation student and is currently a doctoral student in Music and Music Education at Teachers College Columbia University.