Luciano Quiñones Lugo
(born June 22, 1948), is a
pianist
A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...
and a composer of Modern Puerto Rican
Danzas
DHL Global Forwarding, formerly known as DHL Danzas Air & Ocean, is a division of Deutsche Post DHL providing air and ocean freight forwarding services. It also plans and undertakes major logistics projects under the brand name DHL Industrial P ...
.
Early years
Quiñones, was born in the town of
San German, Puerto Rico where he also received his primary education. He was musically influenced by his family who taught him the basics in music at a young age. In 1960, he was sent to the Mayagüez free School of Music where he began his formal musical education.
[Biografías de Puerto Rico: Projecto Salon Hogar; retrieved August 14, 2014](_blank)
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In 1965, Quiñones enrolled at the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico
The Inter American University of Puerto Rico (Spanish: ''Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico''; often abbreviated to ''UIPR'' or ''Inter'') is a private Christian university with its main campus in San Germán, Puerto Rico. It also has c ...
at San German where he continued his musical instruction. In 1969, he earned a bachelor's degree in music with a concentration in applied piano. He was also awarded "The Most Outstanding Student of the Music Department" medal.
Musical career
After graduating from Interamerican University of Puerto Rico, Quiñones worked as a piano teacher for the Puerto Rican Department of Education. He married Sylvia Rodriguez to whom he dedicated his first danza "A Sylvia" in 1977, when he began his endeavor as a composer. This danza won 2nd prize at the Puerto Rican Institute of Culture competition. By 2014, 33 of his danzas have won prizes, becoming the composer with most awards to date. "El Abanico" (The Fan), the "Official Anthem of the City of Hormigueros
Hormigueros (, ) is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the western region of the island, northeast of Cabo Rojo; northwest of San Germán; and south of Mayagüez. Hormigueros is spread over 5 barrios and Hormigueros Pueblo (th ...
" and " Himno a Mayagüez" are a few of the ones to have lyrics, as most were originally composed for piano solo. The latter two of the danzas were adopted as the official anthems of their respective cities. His danza "Linda Mayagüezna", also dedicated to his wife, have been played at the Pablo Casals Festival
The Pablo Casals Festival is a music festival in the French Pyrenees created by the cellist and conductor Pablo Casals in 1950.
History
Casals opposed the Francoist regime in Spain which lasted until after his death. As an exile, Prades in th ...
in Puerto Rico.
Danza compositions
Some of the danzas composed by Quiñones.:
Later years
Quiñones developed two websites: In 1996, he created
The Home of the Danza
where anyone may listen to some danzas performed by him. He also created "Luciano's Piano Bar" where he performs boleros and modern music.
Recognitions
Quiñones has received the following recognitions:Lions Club
The International Association of Lions Clubs, more commonly known as Lions Clubs International, is an international non-political service organization established originally in 1916 in Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, ...
, The City of San German and the Puerto Rican Institute of Culture.
* He was named the adopted son of Mayagüez in 2000
* He was inducted into the Puerto Rican Danza Composers Hall of Fame in 2003.
* The 32nd annual Danza Week of 2004, sponsored by the Puerto Rican Institute of Culture, was dedicated to him.
* The 2008 "Nuestra Música" Festival was dedicated to him on the Danza night.
Quiñones was a music professor at the Mayagüez Free School of Music. He currently participates in the Danza Festival of Mayagüez either as a soloist or accompanist. His wife Sylvia, who was his major source of inspiration and with whom he had two children, Jose Carlos and Jose Ivan, died on November 15, 2004. Quiñones presently resides in Mayagüez and presents his Danza's recital in universities, schools, social and cultural institutions that contract him. He also lectures on the Danza for the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture.
See also
* List of Puerto Ricans
Notes
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Quinones, Luciano
1948 births
Interamerican University of Puerto Rico alumni
Living people
People from San Germán, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rican composers
Puerto Rican male composers
Puerto Rican musicians
Puerto Rican pianists
Male pianists
21st-century pianists
21st-century American male musicians