He was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela, where he received most of his musical training through the world-renown "El Sistema" program of youth orchestras and choirs. He earned a Ph.D. in historical musicology and a graduate certificate in Latin-American studies from the University of Pittsburgh in 2008. His interdisciplinary research focuses on issues of representation of identity, music in society, and national formation in Latin America. Aponte is also an accomplished flutist and frequently performs in modern and early instruments. He sat on the Center's music panel in 2013.