Conchita Espinosa (February 23, 1914 – September 19, 2006) was a world-renowned pianist who combined academics and the arts to create an educational style that exists today at Conchita Espinosa Academy in Miami, Florida.

Early life and education

When Espinosa was three years old, she played popular Cuban melodies on the piano by ear for the first time in an

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. She began formal piano lessons when she was five. At the age of 14, Espinosa graduated from the ''Conservatorio Internacional de Música'' in

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

as a professor of piano and music theory. She continued her music education with renowned professors and artists

Joaquín Nin Joaquín Nin y Castellanos (29 September 1879, Havana – 24 October 1949, Havana) was a Cuban pianist and composer. Nin was the father of Anaïs Nin. Biography He was son of the Catalan writer Joaquin Nin Tudó and Àngela Castellanos Perdom ...

, Ernesto Berumen and Jascha Fishermann. Espinosa performed concerts in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, Cuba and the United States

Career

In 1933, at the age of 19, she founded “La Academia Musical Conchita Espinosa” in

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

. By 1959, at the end of

Batista Batista is a Spanish or Portuguese surname. Notable persons with the name include: * Batista (footballer, born 1955), Brazilian football player * Dave Bautista, American actor and professional wrestler, also known as Batista * Edina Alves Batis ...

's pro-Western rule, the Academy – which included an elementary school and music and dance programs – had 450 students. Three decades later, after leaving Fidel Castro's Cuba and arriving in Miami, Espinosa continued her life's work as a teacher of music. In 1963, she opened Conchita Espinosa Academy in Miami, in the garage of a small home in the neighborhood that would later become

Little Havana Little Havana ( es, Pequeña Habana) is a neighborhood of Miami, Florida, United States. Home to many Cuban exiles, as well as many immigrants from Central and South America, Little Havana is named after Havana, the capital and largest city i ...

. The Academy grew in enrollment, until, in 1984, it moved to a parcel. The school now serves students in grades pre-kindergarten to eighth grade. Conchita Espinosa Academy is now directed by her daughter, Maribel Diaz.

Awards

During her extensive career, Espinosa received many honors including the Richard and Dorothy Lear Memorial “Distinguished Educator Award” (March 1994) and the “Legacy of Excellence Award” presented by General Motors during the 1999 Miami Hispanic Heritage Festival. Additionally, she received “Conchita Espinosa Day” proclamations from both the

City of Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at t ...

and Miami-Dade County(:. In 2001, SW 6th street – which fronts Conchita Espinosa Academy – was named “Conchita Espinosa Way.” The last honor presented to Espinosa before her death was the prestigious ''Medalla de Excelencia Nacional Cubana'' from the ''Instituto de San Carlos de Cayo Hueso'' in May 2006.

References

About Conchita Espinosa
from the Conchita Espinosa Academy official site {{DEFAULTSORT:Espinosa, Conchita Cuban pianists Cuban women pianists 1914 births 2006 deaths 20th-century pianists Cuban emigrants to the United States 20th-century women pianists