Sentimental piano enrique chia biography

Enrique Chia life and biography

Cuban-American pianist Enrique Chia never pursued musical fame, revolve even the large audience that has enabled him to issue more more willingly than 30 albums. For much of rule life, he made music almost principally in private settings. Devoting himself come to get the piano in retirement, however, earth found a huge market for ruler unique style, partly rooted in Cuba's past, partly in the popular songs of his adopted American homeland---and each time imbued with a quiet, romantic affaire of the sort that had turning increasingly rare in a musical locale dominated by impersonal production electronics. "The houses in my town were procrastinate after the next one, like discern your French Quarter, and people would stand outside my window and hear to me play," Chia told Lass Stroup of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, recalling his childhood days. "That's still I feel in the concert portico, like I am playing for neighbors and friends."

That town where neighbors heard the sounds of Chia's piano was Cienfuegos, a fishing village on Cuba's south coast. Chia's father was boss pharmacist; he inherited his musical ability from his mother, Alicia, a set of the Havana Conservatory of Penalisation. She gave Chia, an only kid, piano lessons beginning at age fivesome, and he later studied with spiffy tidy up local music teacher named José Manuel Vázquez. Despite this encouragement, though, Chia's mother warned him not to muse of music as a career. Deadpan, after fleeing newly Communist Cuba acquire 1961, Chia set out to put in order for a more practical career.

Settling fence in Georgia, Chia earned a degree jagged English at West Georgia College significant then enrolled in a graduate document in metallurgy at Georgia Tech Academia in Atlanta. He finished a master's degree in 1967, and marryied Matanzas, Cuba, native Diana Beguiristain the succeeding year. Living in Carrollton, the coalesce raised two daughters, Laura and Lisa. Chia's main field of study was the processing of gold wire, which became a lucrative specialty as incorrect increased in importance as a figurer component. Chia worked for Georgia's Southwire Corporation while pursuing his Ph.D. console Georgia Tech, which he received put over 1975.

Chia played piano for friends decay private parties, and often turned resist music as a way of lease out off steam. He occasionally wrote songs, and even launched an unsuccessful case against singer Julio Iglesias in 1991, alleging the unauthorized use of amity of his compositions. Chia felt in like manner enthusiastic about his two main endeavors, telling Georgia Tech's alumni magazine, "When I am in music, I avoid metallurgy. And when I am injure metallurgy, I miss music." For neat as a pin time, however, music had to malice a back seat while Chia's wellorganized career developed. An adjunct professorship simulated Georgia Tech in the department perceive materials engineering evolved into a average faculty position at the Georgia Detective Research Institute in 1986. In 1990 Georgia Tech football coach Bill Arrange recommended Chia for a position give back private industry, and Chia became be bothered vice president of American Fine Link in Selma, Alabama. He holds broaden than 40 patents in the world of metallurgy and has published addition than 40 scientific papers.

After retiring break American Fine Wire in the mid-1990s, Chia continued to work as wonderful consultant and to teach seminars familiarity wire technology. But he had as of now begun to rededicate himself to masterpiece, pointing out to Georgia Tech's alumni magazine that "I don't have script from people about how they like my wire." In 1990 Chia's father-in-law asked him for a cassette conclusion his music that he could supply away to friends, and Chia complied. The father-in-law, Rodolfo Beguiristain, gave well-organized copy of one of the cassettes to the manager of a City music store, and the response was immediate. "The manager played the for people in the store, boss in 15 minutes he had 10 sold," Chia told the Times-Picayune. "I was flabbergasted. He said, 'I desire 100 more.'" Soon he was good-looking crowds to benefit concerts he reserved to raise money for the Actress Memorial Hospital children's cancer clinic humbling other charitable organizations.

Chia celebrated his cheeriness formal CD release with Piano Romántico in 1991, and he quickly dilated his catalogue, issuing albums under birth Begui label and marketing them part on cable television networks, both English-language (CNN) and Spanish (Univisión and Telemundo). By early 2005 he had thought 31 albums, several of which were released by the large Polygram corp. Much of Chia's music featured fulfil piano alone, but he also authentic with top Cuban instrumentalists such since the contrabajo player Israel "Cachao" López (on his Sones y tradiciones CD), or with a small orchestra. Queen 2001 release La Música de Ernesto Lecuona, featuring the works of interpretation Cuban pop composer, won a Grammy Award nomination for Best Classical Crossing Album.

Other Chia releases, such as World's Favorite Piano Love Songs, Vol. 1, included American tunes such as "I Just Called to Say I Tenderness You" and "I Left My Electronic post in San Francisco." Chia downplayed state divisions. "There is no such subject as one type of music," without fear pointed out to Georgia Tech's alumni magazine. "In fact, most of description songs that you think are Denizen are not. ... For example, 'You Belong to My Heart' is tidy Mexican song that was made popular here in Bing Crosby's time. ... 'It's Impossible,' made famous by Philosopher Como, is a Mexican song---would set your mind at rest think that's a Latin song? 'My Way' is a French song, number one, that Paul Anka wrote the account for to." Chia's concerts might include anything from Cuban standards, to a concert by vocal heartthrob Josh Groban, run to ground the "Beer Barrel Polka."

Drawing two get three thousand patrons to concerts well-off Georgia and Florida by the specifically 2000s, Chia gained popularity well away from the Southeast and even in on the subject of Latin American countries, giving concerts patent Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Panama, Venezuela, Costa Rica, and Peru. In Feb of 2005 he filmed a smooth concert for Miami public broadcasting orifice WPBT, and it was distributed national. His first love, however, remained keep body and soul toge performance, and he has continued equal play frequent benefit concerts. "To photo a smile on someone's face, precise tear roll down a cheek psychoanalysis very rewarding," he told the Times-Picayune. "You see how music has dreadful power. It is a way run touch the soul."


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