Rolando Valdés Blaín

He was born in Havana Cuba in 1922, and as a child his family emigrated to New York, the place where he went to live at the end of his life.

He made his first presentation at the age of 13 in New York, having studied in Spain with Regino Sainz de la Maza, and later with the Uruguayan virtuoso Julio Martinez Oyanguren. He graduated from the Royal Conservatory of Madrid with Grand Prize for the interpretation of a guitar concerto.

In the 1930s, he and his brother Alberto had a weekly music program on the radio station WNYC.

After a stint in the armed forces from 1942-46, he performed concerts at the Casa Americana, the Pan American Union in Washington D.C., Yale University, recitals at Carnegie Hall, at the Ethical Culture Auditorium in Philadelphia, and at the Royal Conservatory of Madrid. He gave performances on the major radio networks of New York, Caracas, Venezuela, and in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

He accompanied a Spanish Ballet Company in Canada, South America and in the United States under the direction of Sol Hurok. He was presented as the guitarist in the cast of Tennessee Williams' "Camino Real" on Broadway. In the summer of 1958 he was a soloist with the Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Raymond Paige at the famous Radio City Music Hall.

He also composed the music for the theatrical production "Bullfight".

He founded the Guitar Department at the School of Music of Manhattan. He was a teacher to dozens of guitarists, who still have great influence on the current musical scene. This is the broad legacy that Valdés Blain has left behind.

In 1968 he performed at the White House.

Rolando Valdés Blain passed away in the city of New York, after a life dedicated to performing on stages that included both Broadway and the White House. He was 89 years old.