Natalia Esquivel Benítez (born 15 December 1973 in San José) is a

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

n composer, guitarist, singer-songwriter, author, poet, vocalist and academic in musical education.

Career

Esquivel studied musical education at the

National University of Costa Rica The National University of Costa Rica (in Spanish, Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica, abbreviated UNA) is one of five public universities in the Republic of Costa Rica, in Central America. The main campus is located in the city of Heredia. Acc ...

; further she obtained a master's degree at the

Indiana University of Pennsylvania Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) is a Public university, public research university in Indiana, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and Carnegie Classification o ...

. Esquivel has been actively promoting the development of reading and music for children, alongside the concept of " musicking" set forth by Christopher Small; music is conceived as a process to help build learning and enhance the pupil's abilities, including the development of competencies needed in their life. Her music workshops, supported by religious authorities, have set a local precedent in this regard. Another meaningful influence in her work has been the German

Orff Schulwerk The Orff Schulwerk, or simply the Orff Approach, is a developmental approach used in music education. It combines music, movement, drama, and speech into lessons that are similar to a child's world of play. It was developed by the Germany, Germa ...

. Esquivel has been an artist-in-residence with Spanish composer of social music Marta Lozano Molano, conducting a musical project for rural areas and communities under social risk; its 17 songs invite to reflect on ecological and social values, based on the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Style

Her musical repertoire is inspired by the work of

Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Piano Man" after his Signature song, signature 1973 song Piano Man (song), of the same name, Joel has ha ...

Ana Belén María del Pilar Cuesta Acosta (born 27 May 1951), known professionally as Ana Belén, is a Spanish actress and singer. She and her husband are considered symbols of the Spanish Transition, and her songs and albums often feature boldly-titled ...

Silvio Rodríguez Silvio Rodríguez Domínguez (born 29 November 1946) is a Cuban musician, and leader of the Nueva Trova movement. He is widely considered as Cuba's best folk singer and arguably one of Latin America's greatest singer-songwriters. Known for his ...

Pablo Milanés Pablo Milanés Arias (24 February 1943 – 22 November 2022) was a Cuban guitar player and singer. He was one of the founders of the Cuban nueva trova, along with Silvio Rodríguez and Noel Nicola. His music, originating in the Trova, Son and ...

, and

Violeta Parra Violeta del Carmen Parra Sandoval (; 4 October 1917 – 5 February 1967) was a Chilean composer, singer-songwriter, folklorist, ethnomusicologist and visual artist. She pioneered the Nueva Canción Chilena (The Chilean New Song), a renewal and a ...

, among others.

Selected works

* ''Arrullos de sol y mar'' (Clubdelibros, 2015; 2nd ed. 2021) * ''Música para el niño preescolar'' (EUNED, 2017) * ''Nana de la luna'' (Ocarina, 2020) * ''Andamios de lluvia'' (Poiesis Ediciones, 2021) * ''Canto planetario: hermandad en la Tierra. Volumen I'' (various authors, ed. Carlos Javier Jarquín). Antology. Costa Rica: H.C. Editores, 2023.

References

External links

Natalia Esquivel
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Apple Music Apple Music is an audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users can select music to stream to their device on-demand, or listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the sister internet radio stations Apple Musi ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Esquivel, Natalia 1973 births National University of Costa Rica alumni Indiana University of Pennsylvania alumni Musicians from San José, Costa Rica Costa Rican guitarists Costa Rican women composers Costa Rican women singers Costa Rican women poets 21st-century Costa Rican women writers Costa Rican academics Living people