VIOLINIST Jose Figueroa was born in San Sebastian, Puerto Rico, 1905. He began his musical career when he was seven years old. At twelve years of age, he made his first concert tour through Mexico and Cuba where he was acclaimed by the critics. Upon his return, he went to Madrid to study at the Royal Conservatory where he was awarded first prize in violin and the coveted "Pablo Sarasate" prize. He made a successful tour through Spain and Portugal playing as a soloist and with orchestras giving a command performance at the royal palace before Queen Victoria Eugenia. José went to Paris to enter the Ecole Normale de Musique where he studied and won the admiration of french violinist Jacques Thibaud and under his direction, he was awarded the "Licence de Concert" with the highest grade ever given in this school. He was appointed violin teacher at the Ecole Normale and concert master of the Chamber Music Orchestra conducted by Alfred Cortot. He acted as soloist and concert master in the concerts conducted by Nadia Boulanger and those of the Paris Symphony Orchestra. He played under the direction of Pierre Monteau, Charles Munch, Ansermet, and other well known conductors. He became the first violinist of the "Ecole Normale Quartet". When Warsaw celebrated the Henty Wieniasky Centenary Contest, José won fourth place among hundreds of violinists from all over the world.
He had appeared as soloist in the principal cities of Europe and the Americas and the critics have always acknowledged his extraordinary technique and interpretation. He played with the National Symphony in Washington D.C. and with the City Symphony in New York under Stokowsky. He was a member of the Figueroa Quintet, concert master of the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, member of the Festival Casals Orchestra, and a teacher at the University of Puerto Rico and Conservatory of Music.
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