Sanromá, JesúS María

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Sanromá, JesúS María

Sanromá, JesúS María , brilliant Puerto Rican pianist; b. Carolina (of Catalonian parents), Nov. 7, 1902; d. San Juan, Oct. 12, 1984. At the age of 14, he was sent to the U.S. by the governor of Puerto Rico. He he studied piano with Antoinette Szumowska at the New England Cons. of Music in Boston, and in 1920 won the Mason & Hamlin piano prize; then studied with Cortot (in Paris) and Schnabel (in Berlin). From 1926 to 1944 he was pianist of the Boston Sym. Orch. He taught at the New England Cons. of Music (1930–41), and gave annual concerts in the U.S., Canada, and South America; also played in Europe. In 1951 he was appointed chairman of the music dept. at the Univ. of Puerto Rico; he was head of the piano dept. at the Puerto Rico Cons. of Music (1959–80). He excelled particularly as an interpreter of contemporary music; gave the premieres of Piston’s Concertino (1937) and Hindemith’s Concerto (1947).

Bibliography

E. Belava, El niño S.: Biografia mínima (San Juan, 1952; second ed., 1962).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire