Juan Espinosa Aguilar

Outstanding pianist. He possesses a prolific artistic career. He has traveled through a great number of countries in Europe, Asia, and America. He holds several national and foreign decorations and distinctions.

He was born in Guanajay. From age 4 he plays the piano. He studied music in his native town and at age 11 he obtains a scholarship at the International Conservatory in La Habana to pursue higher studies, under the direction of María Jones de Castro. He also worked with Jorge Bolet and Lawrence Davis. He graduates two years later.

Since the 1950s he began his work as an accompanying pianist for notable Cuban and foreign vocal performers, as well as a soloist. Being an oil worker at the Triumph of the Revolution, he joins the cultural plans of the CTC.

When he enters the cultural sector as a professional performer in 1964, he is a vast connoisseur of the lyric repertoire, which he will alternate with his concert soloist repertoire.

The work with the main figures of lyric art, both national and foreign, as well as lyric cultural events as an accompanist and soloist in the Sierra Maestra, Soviet Union, Bulgaria, Sweden, Mexico, and other countries of the five continents are part of the enormous wealth of experience accumulated by this musician.

He holds decorations from the people of Viet Nam. He also obtains two important awards in Tokio with the National Ballet of Cuba. He has contributed to figures of singing and dance receiving international awards.

He possesses the María Teresa Vera Distinction. For the past 15 years he has maintained a gathering at the Carlos Baliño Museum in Guanajay. He was a jury member of the First Zoila Gálvez Lyric Art Competition. This outstanding pianist maintains a gathering in Guanajay, the town where he was born. During this time the most important lyric singers of Cuba have performed, as well as leading figures from radio and television.

Foreign artists and emerging figures have also been presented, who receive or have received classes from the prestigious teacher. As general education he graduated as a Bachelor in Sciences and Letters, in Languages: English, Italian, and Bulgarian, in addition to Shorthand, telegrapher, and radio telegrapher. In his academic training he received 8 courses in piano and Solfège, 4 courses in harmony, counterpoint, and fugue, a course in Chamber Music, piano repertoire, methodology, pedagogy, history of music, musical appreciation, 3 courses in Orchestra Conducting.

He graduates as Professor of Music in the year 1952. Since his childhood he has performed as a soloist in Cuban theaters, radio, and television. From 1960 onwards he undertakes an extraordinary programming for the quantity and quality of his presentations in theater, radio, and television as a soloist and accompanist for singers, concerts, dancers, and incidental music. For more than 30 years he has been the pianist requested for performances of the highest caliber in the lyric genre, and has been selected for all cultural events in various European countries, festivals, competitions, etc. He was also selected for 5 years to accompany the international competitions of the National Ballet of Cuba and the foremost ballerina Alicia Alonso.

International Performances:
Tour through 6 European countries with the Cuban zarzuela "Cecilia Valdés,"
Expo Montreal. Canada Pelieter Hall (1967).
International Francisco Viñas Singing Competition, Liceo de Barcelona. (1969)
Soviet Culture Event. Bolshoi Theatre, Glinka Hall in Leningrad, Tallin, and Riga, etc. (1973)
Tour through different regions of Russia with the show "Summer Melodies"
International Ballet Competition in Moscow. Bolshoi Theatre.
Embassy to Far Eastern countries, Mongolia, Korea, and Viet-Nam. Theaters of their capitals and television (1974)
Tour with the work "Cecilia Valdés": USSR, Poland, Germany, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Romania.
Mexico: Culture Event, Theaters, and television. (1975), (1976)
Culture Event in Poland. Chopin Hall in Warsaw and Theaters in Poznan, Krakow, etc., was part of the first embassy to the Nordic countries: Sweden and Finland. House of Culture in Stockholm, Gothenburg, House of Finland; Sibelius Museum; Television and recordings.
Competition for young singers in Sofia, accompanying two performers. (1980) First Latin American Singing Competition in Caracas. Municipal Theatre.
Special performance as accompanist in the Laureates Concert, (1981) Montreal Competition for young singers as accompanying pianist (Canada). Pelieter Theatre, (1982)
Culture Days in Quito (Ecuador). Palace of Culture, 1987 and 1999 *Moniuzko Festivals, performs as soloist and repertorist, 1986, 1989, and 1994: *Three festivals in Korea (Spring Festival). In all theaters in Pyongyang and television. (1988)
Performance at the birthplace of Federico Chopin for Eurovision. (1991)
Tour through West Germany in theaters, concert halls, and evangelical temples, (1992)
Concerts for the Cuban Culture Festival in Barcelona, (1994)
Concert tour in China and participation in Festivals, (1995)
First Tribute to Master Ernesto Lecuona in Latin America. Teatro Teresa Carreño. Caracas, Staging of the opera "Turandot". Teatro Teresa Carreño, (1996)
Lyric Art Foundation in Bogotá.
Zarzuela and operetta season. Teatro Colsubsidio, (1997)
Anthological recital of the Master at the Martí Memorial
Performance in the Pro-lyric opera season in Lima, Peru.

Awards and Decorations
Two decorations in Vietnam (1973 and 1978)
Two awards "To the Best Pianist" in the competitions of La Foundation Tokio
Decoration for Polish Culture
Awards, Medals, and Trophies for participation in the three Spring Festivals of Pion-Yang Korea
Distinction for National Culture"
Medal and Recognition of Fine Arts
"Adolfo Guzmán Distinction"
"María Teresa Vera Distinction"
"Raúl Gómez García Order"
Two Medals of Laureate of the CTC.