José Iturbi

b. 28 November 1895, Valencia, Spain, d. 28 June 1980, Los Angeles, California, USA. A child prodigy, Iturbi studied piano at the Paris Conservatoire de Musique and later taught at the Music Conservatory in Geneva. In 1929 he made his New York debut and, remaining based in the USA, at first concentrated on classical music, touring as a concert pianist. He made his debut as a conductor in Mexico City in 1933, later working also in this capacity including being principal conductor of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra from 1936-44. In Hollywood from the mid-40s, he appeared in...