Jose Raul Bernardo
José Raúl Bernardo, (1928-2008), a Treu “Renaissance man,” was born in La Habana, Cuba. He studied at the Havana Conservatory, Cuba, where he received a Bachelor of Music degree in 1958. He attended the University of Miami in Florida where he received a Masters in Music in 1969. He received his Ph.D. at Columbia University in 1972. José was a renaissance man – an architect, playwright, composer, and writer. Among his musical compositions are concertos for piano, violin, viola and harpsichord; a symphony; miscellaneous chamber and solo works; two operas and several film scores. A great friend of the Quintet, he wrote several pieces for the ensemble including Echoes from a Distant Land and Cuban Baroque Suite as well as arrangements of Cuban masters such as Samuell and Lecuona. His novels include Silent Wing, Secret of the Bulls and Wise Women of Havana.
