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My artistry, I was very privileged, very lucky

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to have had the last, I guess, part of the 19th,

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20th century tradition. When I was born, it was

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a time that Pablo Casals was in the island and

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he brought that, you know, his own tradition.

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Some of my teachers had studied in Europe. before

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the Second World War. I was born when Spanish,

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Spain was still dominant. Puerto Rico was a colony

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of Spain. And so that root of Spanish was always

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present in my family. Join us for a rich and

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inspiring episode featuring José Ramos Santana,

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Steinway artist and one of the foremost interpreters

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of Spanish and Latin American piano music. José

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reflects on how his Puerto Rican roots, mentorship

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under Alicia de la Rocha, and love for Spanish

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composers shaped his artistry, while spotlighting

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the powerful piano works of Puerto Rican composers.

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The Spanish music was always a very strong kind

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of definition in my upbringing. Therefore, I

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think that I, and I loved it, so I think that

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my mission is to continue that with that. old

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tradition and of course later on I met Alicia

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de la Rocha and the Spain culture and the Spanish

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tradition in me was deeply rooted and so I feel

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that you know I'm a conduit of for the new generation

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from this point of view my mission is also to

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educate young generations of pianists so I think

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that this is what I want to make sure that I

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establish as my legacy and as my mission. Again,

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I've been very fortunate and I'm very thankful

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for life. I've had great teachers in my background

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from Puerto Rico to the end of my studies. They

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all carry a tradition that is lost. I am a link

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to that old tradition of artistry in the piano.

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Tune in Tuesday, April 8th at 8 p .m. Eastern

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Time on YouTube and all major podcast platforms.

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For our paid subscribers, enjoy exclusive early

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access to this episode on Substack on April 7th

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at 8 p .m. Eastern Time, one day before the official

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release of this episode. Do not miss the celebration

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of Spanish and Latin American heritage, artistry,

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and expression.