Class: 2009
Dr. José Gabriel Maldonado Suárez
He began studying guitar at a very young age at the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music, from where he later graduated with a bachelor's degree in classical guitar performance. After graduating, Dr. Maldonado moved to New York to pursue a Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees at Stony Brook University. He concentrated his graduate studies on early music performance and music by Puerto Rican composers of the 19th and 20th centuries. Her doctoral research focused on Puerto Rican dance, tracing the origins of the genre, its sociopolitical impact, and its role in the struggle for Puerto Rican decolonization.
As a performer and arranger, his repertoire of solo guitar and chamber music encompasses works of guitar literature from the Renaissance to contemporary music, as well as genres and rhythms from Latin America and the Caribbean. As an arts administrator, Dr. Maldonado curates classical music performances and creates events that celebrate Latin and Caribbean musical expressions. Dr. Maldonado has given and presented lectures and master classes at John Jay College, Marshall University, Columbia University, The Long Island Guitar Festival, Post University, Stony Brook University, Middlebury College, Bloomingdale School of Music, and at the Conservatory of Music at Puerto Rico, among others.
Dr. Maldonado is currently completing a Master's Degree in Arts Administration at Baruch College and was selected to join the inaugural cohort of the Association of Arts Administration Educators mentoring program. Dr. Maldonado is on the faculty of the Department of Art and Music at John Jay College, where he teaches courses in music appreciation, music history, and guitar performance. Additionally, 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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