Mario Romeu (1924–2017) was a celebrated Cuban pianist, composer, and conductor from a prestigious family of musicians. A musical prodigy from a young age, he was known for his versatility and skill across classical and Cuban musical genres.
Musical family
Armando Romeu Marrero: Mario's father, a pianist, composer, and conductor of the Cuban Navy Band.
Zenaida Romeu González: His sister, a pianist and composer.
Antonio María Romeu: His great-uncle, a renowned danzón composer and charanga bandleader.
Career highlights
Early Prodigy: At just three years old, Romeu performed a four-handed piano piece with his father at the National Theater in Cuba. Newspaper headlines of the time called him a "virtuoso".
1937 U.S. Tour: At age 12, he toured 36 cities in the United States with the Cuban Navy Band, performing classical works like Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 2 and Liszt's Hungarian Fantasy.
Radio and Television: As an adult, Romeu worked as a conductor and musical director for Cuban radio and television, becoming a fixture in the country's music scene starting in the 1940s.
Notable Compositions: He composed and arranged music for film, including The Beauty of the Alhambra (1989), La sombrilla amarilla (2003), and Canción para Rachel (2007).
Awards and Recognition: His contributions to music were honored with several prestigious awards, including:
Medal for National Culture (1990)
Artist Emeritus of Cuban Radio and Television (2004)
National Television Award (2005)
Posthumous Release: After his death, the album series Piano de Cuba, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, featuring his music, were released in 2020.