CREDENTIALS – Biographical Sketch
Ruben Malán was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, in May 15, l947 into a family with strong musical traditions for many generations. Malán begun his formal music studies with his father, an accomplished pianist, clarinetist, and conductor. At the age of eight, Malá became a formal student of Santiago Baranda Reyes, (Johan Sebastian Bach private Conservatory) with whom remained for more than 10 years. At age fifteen, Malán launched his performance career, presenting many recitals sponsored by the internationally famous Juventudes Musicales with headquarters in Belgium.
After a despotic military regime closed the Conservatorio Nacional de Música (Montevideo) where he studied for two years, Dr. Malán was compelled to leave his country as a young adult and move to San Juan Puerto Rico, following his mentor, the prestigious Uruguayan composer Héctor Tosar (Héctor Tosar_Sul re für Klavier, 1981 – YouTube; Héctor Tosar – 6 Canciones – YouTube ). Being deprived of his position as the dean of the banned National Conservatory, Tosar was invited by Pablo Casals to serve as a new dean of the Conservatory of the Festival Casals in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
In 1975, Dr, Malán continued his piano studies with Jesús Maria Sanromá, and his music education with Nelly Justicia at the Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico where, in 1980, he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in piano and music education. Graduated with honors, he earned a medal from UNESCO, in acknowledgment of his talent and dedication. That same year, Dr. Malán joined the faculty, teaching piano, keyboard-harmony, and improvisation.
In 1987, with the goal of pursuing a Master’s degree in piano performance under the tutelage of Leonidas Lipovetsky, Dr. Malán moved to Tallahassee, the capital of Florida. In recognition of his significant accomplishments at the Florida State University College of Music he was awarded with the Florida State Graduate Fellowship and later with an M. M. degree in piano performance with additional studies in piano pedagogy and jazz. Dr. Malán and his family remained in Tallahassee while he pursued his Doctoral degree, which he earned in 1999 under the tutelage of Dr. James Streem.
Dr. Malán founded his own piano and keyboard studio in 1993. He has earned a well-deserved reputation providing quality instruction to the Tallahassee community until today. He served two years as president of The Tallahassee Music Teachers Association, of which remains as an active member.
Tallahassee, October 30, 2024
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