Omar Herrera Arizmendi was born in Cuernavaca, Mexico, and began his formal music studies in 1993 at the National University of Mexico. In 1996, he continued his training at The University of Texas at Austin as a Piano Performance major, and later pursued graduate studies at Rice University, where he earned a Master’s degree in Piano Performance in 2003. 

He has been the recipient of Mexico’s most prestigious arts scholarship (FONCA), as well as several other fellowships, including one from the Center for Mexican American Studies at the University of Houston. In 2012, he was awarded a Doctorate in Music with a dissertation titled “Style and Aesthetics of Manuel M. Ponce.” 

Omar has appeared as soloist with orchestras in both Mexico and the United States, and has collaborated with renowned chamber ensembles such as Cuarteto Latinoamericano. He served for several years as Pianist-in-Residence at MECA in Houston, and is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Ponce Project Music Foundation. He is also the founder of the Ponce Project International Piano Competition, the only competition in the world dedicated exclusively to the Latin American piano repertoire. 

A proud descendant of Manuel M. Ponce (1882–1948), one of Mexico’s most celebrated composers, Omar continues to champion Latin American music on international stages.