Iturbi, José

Iturbi, José

(hōsā` ēto͞or`bē), 1895–1980, Spanish-American pianist, b. Valencia, Spain. Iturbi studied at the Valencia and Paris conservatories on scholarship. His worldwide concert tours were brilliantly successful. He excelled as an interpreter of Spanish music. In New York City in 1929 he made his American debut; he made his first appearance as a conductor in Mexico City in 1933. He was conductor of the Rochester (N.Y.) Philharmonic Orchestra from 1936 to 1944. Iturbi appeared as an actor-performer in several filmed musicals of the 1940s.