José Soto

José Soto

Piano Faculty | The Global Conservatory

Driven by the purpose of creating socially conscious music to improve society, José Soto, a prominent Costa Rican pianist, composer, and educator, explores free improvisation, jazz, classical music, and Latin American rhythms. His musical education led him to study at the National University of Costa Rica, the New England Conservatory, and the master's program at the Berklee Global Jazz Institute at Berklee College of Music.

Recently, he released his album titled "The Ancestral Call" at the Lincoln Center in New York, inspired by the ancestral knowledge and culture of the Bribri indigenous community of Costa Rica. The Global Music Awards have awarded this album the Gold Medal, and it has been mentioned in NPR's list of the best alternative Latin music in 2023.

In his career as a performer, José has toured nationally and internationally with the most influential groups in his country and has shared the stage with renowned artists such as Francisco Mela, George Garzone, Luciana Souza, and Danilo Perez, performing at numerous festivals in Latin America, the United States, and Europe.

José currently resides in Boston, where he works as a professor in the Ear Training Department at Berklee College of Music, and at the New England Conservatory and Curry College.