Rosa María Matos Espinosa

Guitarist and pedagogue, she was the first woman to win the International Guitar Competition-Festival of La Habana.

Born in Las Tunas, former Oriente. She began her studies at the School of Art of Las Tunas, with Bárbara Milián and José Armando Guzmán; she completed them at the Instituto Superior de Arte, with Joaquín Clerch, Jesús Ortega, Rey Guerra and Harold Gramatges.

She has received master classes from:
Isaac Nicola
Leo Brouwer
Pepe Romero (Spanish)
María Luisa Anido, (Argentine)
Wolfgang Leedle, (German)

Awards
First Prize in the Amadeo Roldán Competition, 1984 and 1986
Prize for best interpretation of a Cuban work, National Competition, 1988
First Prize Musicalia Competition, convened by the Instituto Superior de Arte, 1996
First Prize in the IX International Guitar Competition and Festival of La Habana, 1998
Masaru Kohno Prize
Ichiro Suzuki Prize
Cuban Radio Prize
Artistic Mastery Prize, awarded by the Instituto Superior de Arte.

International Tours
She has performed accompanied by the Mulheuse Symphony Orchestra, France
Symphony Orchestra of San Salvador, El Salvador
Participated in the Guitar Festival of San José, Costa Rica
Guitar Festival of Ligita, Liechtenstein
Parrado Guitar Festival, Michoacán, Mexico
Spain
Greece

As a teacher, she has taught at the Autonomous University, at the University of Zacatecas, Mexico, and at the National University of Costa Rica.

She has obtained countless awards throughout her career, among which stand out: Prize for Artistic Mastery, University of the Arts (Cuba, 1998), Cuban Radio Prize (Cuba, 1998), First Prize in the 9th International Guitar Competition, La Habana (Cuba, 1998) Ichiro Suzuki Prize (Cuba, 1998), Masaru Kohno Prize (Cuba, 1998) Third Prize National Guitar Competition (Cuba, 1997) First Prize Musicalia University of the Arts (Cuba, 1996) Prize for Best Interpretation of Cuban Work in the National Competition (Cuba, 1989) and the distinction of "Illustrious Daughter" awarded by the Assembly of People's Power of Las Tunas on May 11, 2007.

Since 1998 she has performed at Festivals and presentations with Orchestra among which are: Orchestra of the Le Filature Theater (Mulhouse, France 1998); Symphony Orchestra of Córdoba (Spain, 1999); Youth Symphony Orchestra of San Salvador (El Salvador, 1999) National Symphony Orchestra (Cuba, 2000 and 2005); National Symphony Orchestra (Costa Rica, 2015) Symphony Orchestra of Cartago (Costa Rica, 2015), Symphony Orchestra of Heredia (Costa Rica, 2015); Chamber Orchestra Música Eterna; Camerata Romeu, under the direction of Masters Leo Brouwer, Silvia Massareli, Eddie Mora, Christoph Campestrini, Guido López Gavilán, Roberto Valera, Enrique Pérez Meza, Zenaida Romeu among others.

Her repertoire includes world premieres and Cuban premieres including Lullaby Song for Two Guitars by María Escribano (Spain), Sonata Song to Mallorca by Claudio Prieto (Spain), Returns by Javier Farías (Chile, Cuban premiere), Concertante Poem for Guitar and Orchestra "Cuban Landscape with Brouwer" by Guillermo Diego (Mexico, Cuban premiere), Three Pieces for Guitar and Viola by Carlos Fariñas (Cuban premiere), Listen to Me with Your Eyes by Eddie Mora for guitar and viola (Costa Rica), Precious and the Air by Edín Solís (World Premiere, Costa Rica), Nocturnes of Andalusia by Lorenzo Martínez Palomo (Spain, French premiere) From the Rumba Son by Eduardo Martín (Cuban premiere).

She has performed on various stages in Europe and Latin America invited to Festivals and Art events among them: Contemporary Music Festival La Habana (1997/2007) International Festival of Costa Rica 1999; International Festival of Ligita Liechtenstein (2001); Young Guitar Party (Camagüey 2003), Party of Cubanity (Bayamo 2003); Guitars of the World Festival (Argentina 2004 and 2011); Freiburg Festival (Switzerland 2012), Ibagué Festival (Colombia 2011); Paracho Festival (Mexico 2002). She has taught Master Classes in Mexico (DF), Colombia, San Salvador and Costa Rica.

Her discographic works have been nominated for the CUBADISCO Awards and EGREM criticism awards.

Discography: CD: "Like Angel and Demon". EGREM, 2004 Cuban Composers for Guitar CD/DVD: "Praise in Spiral". EGREM, 2010 50 Years of Music for Guitar by Leo Brouwer (1959-2009) CD "Repairing the Road" COLIBRÍ. 2014 Music for Guitar in the Work of Harold Gramatges Collaborations in Discographic Projects CD: A Day in November. VICC, 2000 Jasuji Ohagui, first work CD: "The Guitar and I". Unicornio, 2006 Various Performers, Harold Gramatges CD: "Chamber Guajiras". Colibrí 2010 Music by Rafael Guedes CD: Latin American Concert Colibrí 2012 Rafael Guedes CD: "Tropical Diversions" Colibrí 2012 Music for Guitar by Eduardo Martín She has more than 20 years of teaching experience and has worked at the University of Costa Rica (Atlantic campus), University of the Arts, Cuba, Conservatorio Amadeo Roldán, Cuba, National School of Art (secondary level) and at the Manuel Saumell Conservatory (elementary level), Cuba. Musical Production and Promotion

Creator of spaces for the promotion of guitar and culture, she founded the space "Journey to the Guitar" at the prestigious Cuban institution Casa de las Americas, and in her work as coordinator of the department she founded important projects for the dissemination and strengthening of arts careers among them "Concert Afternoons", "At the Rhythm of the Word", Musical Interpretation Competition "Leaving Footprints", "Heredian Concerts" Her Teachers were Bárbara Millián, José Armando Guzmán and Jesús Ortega, as well as great performers and artists who throughout her career have marked her such versatile approach from the guitar among them Master Leo Brouwer, Harold Gramatges, Alfredo Diez Nieto and Rey Guerra.

Graduate of the Master's Degree in Education with emphasis in University Pedagogy from the Center for Research and Teaching in Education, National University of Costa Rica. Since 2016 to the present she collaborates as a guest teacher at the School of Music of the National University of Costa Rica.