Jazzing Up Chopin

Marita Albán Juárez is a Peruvian-Polish jazz musician who became an expert on Chopin because of a misunderstanding. She thought her teacher’s suggestion to write a book proposal was a mandatory assignment, and ended up publishing a book on Chopin, making a documentary, and becoming an authority who is often asked to share her expertise in the media.  

We discussed:

• Growing up in a musical family
• Friends’ unexpected visits and the casual way people socialized in pre-internet days
• The influence of visitors from Latin America on Marita’s childhood
• Marita’s parents’ love story
• The women who inspired Marita’s latest album
• Attempts to change gender dynamics in Peru
• Marita’s path to becoming an expert on Chopin
• Talking to people in Japan about what Chopin means to them
• Marita’s career as a TV host

Marita’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marita.quartet/

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