Adolfo Mejía Navarro

Adolfo Mejía Navarro (1905–1973) was a Colombian musician and composer. He lived and worked in Cartagena and Bogotá and spent time in New York and several European countries. His 1938 suite “Pequeña Suite para Orquesta” is notable for its inclusion of cumbia in the final movement. Biography Early life and education Mejía was born on 5 February 1905 in Sincé, in the Colombian department of Sucre, to Adolfo Mejía and Francisca Navarro. His father was a guitarist and notable singer. In 1916 Mejía moved to Cartagena, where he studied at the and sang in the choir of the San Pedro Claver church. Around this time he wrote his first composition, a piano piece called “Primicias”. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and letters from the University of Cartagena. Music career In 1923 Mejía enrolled at the , where he studied under Juan de Sanctis and Eusebio Celio Fernández. Concurrently he was a member of the Estudiantina Revollo, the Orquesta Eureka, and the Jazz Band Lorduy, and was composing in several traditional Colombian styles including fandango, , bambuco, and pasillo. Mejía moved to New York in 1930, where he formed the Trío Albéniz with Terig Tucci on mandolin and Antonio F