Guitar Studies Director - RESIDENT TEACHING ARTIST

José Maldonado

Teaches: Guitar, Guitar Orchestra
Dr. José Maldonado Suárez started studying the guitar at a young age in the Programa de Cuerdas at the Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico (CMPR) from where he later graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in classical guitar performance. José moved to New York to pursue a Master of Music degree and a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree at SUNY Stony Brook University (SBU). He concentrated his graduate studies on early music performance and on music by Puerto Rican composers from the 19th and 20th centuries. Dr. Maldonado’s doctoral research focused on the Puerto Rican Danza,  tracing the genre’s origins, socio-political impact, and its role in the Puerto Rican decolonization struggle.

As a performer and arranger, José is equally at home with classical and Puerto Rican music; his solo guitar and chamber music repertoire cover guitar literature works from the renaissance to contemporary music as well as genres and rhythms from Latin America and the Caribbean. As an educator, Dr. Maldonado has presented lectures and master classes at John Jay College,  Baruch College, Marshall University, Columbia University, The Long Island Guitar Festival at Post University, Stony Brook University, Middlebury College, Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico, and Bloomingdale School of Music, among others.

Dr. Maldonado resides in Brooklyn NY and is currently completing a Master of Arts in Arts Administration at Baruch College. Dr. Maldonado forms part of the Art & Music faculty at John Jay College (CUNY) where he teaches courses in music appreciation, music history, and guitar performance. Dr. Maldonado is the Director of Guitar Studies at Bloomingdale School of Music (BSM) and has been the Artistic Director of the BSM Guitar Festival since 2012.

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