He studied at the Juilliard School under Sascha Gorodnitzki and made his recital debut at Alice Tully Hall in 1972 with and all Liszt program.
Many of his public appearances were as an accompanist for artists like soprano Jessye Norman and violinist Eugene Fodor, and his high reputation rests on a small number of recordings, one of which was awarded the Grand Prix du Disque in 1978.
Villa was also invited by Gyorgy Cziffra to perform at the Festival de la Chaise Dieu in France.
Much of his praise comes from that of Arthur Rubinstein, Claudio Arrau, Alicia de Larrocha, and André Previn.
Villa died on April 13, 1995, aged 46, at Saint Vincent's Catholic Medical Center in Greenwich Village.