About Aponi Kai
Aponi Kai composes most of her music and lyrics under the moon and stars in far away arroyos, walking with her two malamute wolf mixes, Nico and Nena.Aponi was raised by her mother, an 8th generation Curandera of Spanish and Hopi Indian heritage, and her father, a Ph.D mathematician of Scottish decent.
She grew up in a remote mountain cabin in early years and learned to draw inspiration from listening to the river below and observing wild life in her back yard. Poetry, gardening, yoga, ayurvedic medicine, cooking, downhill skiing, horseback riding, reading and studying piano and guitar are among her interests.
Although Aponi grew up in the mountains of Colorado and New Mexico, she was educated in Europe and Latin America.
She studied languages at Georgetown University and at La Sapienza University in Rome, and is fluent in Spanish, Italian, English and is proficient in French.
She served as a personal interpreter/performer to Fransisco Paparoni, the Venezuelan Ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS) while studying Linguistics at Georgetown University. Performing regular Bolero concerts for Francisco and his wife Gilda at their private residence in Washington, D.C. launched her music career and remains a career highlight.
Aponi has performed for ambassadors, attaches, and dignitaries of Latin America at events and fundraisers at the Kennedy Center, the Organization of American States, the Venezuelan Embassy, the Mexican Cultural Institute, the Colombian Embassy, and at televised events such as 'The Today Show' in New York City and 'Nuestra Belleza' in Mexico City.
She performed as back up singer to Gloria Estefan in Miami and has worked with legendary producers Bebu Silvetti, Marco Flores and Rodolfo Castillo. Rendezvous Records, Prisa and Muxxic Latina are among the labels she has recorded for.
She later became the face of Fuller Cosmetics in Mexico during the release of her first Bolero album with Prisa Records of Spain.
Hands-on work south of the border also holds appeal for Aponi. She served as director of Dos Manos, a nonprofit organization focusing on improving education for children, delivering clean water, and supporting sustainable agriculture to indigenous villages in the mountains of Northern Mexico.
Most recently she has performed at St. Regis Aspen Resort, Casa Tua private members club in Aspen, and Four Seasons Rancho Encantado Resort in Santa Fe.