Regino Sainz de la Maza

Who was Regino Sainz de la Maza?

Regino Sainz de la Maza y Ruiz was a Spanish classical guitarist.

At age ten, he got his first guitar and started his musical studies with Santiago Landache, José Nicolás Quesada, and Eugenio Rodríguez Pascual. Four years later, in 1910, his family moved to San Sebastián, where de la Maza studied piano with Germán Cendoya, harmony with Beltrán Pagola and guitar with Luis Soria. A year later he moved to Bilbao, where he studied with Hilarión Leloup. Aged eighteen, he performed at his first concert, at "Teatro Arriaga" of Bilbao.

He later moved to Barcelona, where he worked as a concert musician. There he befriended Miguel Llobet and Andrés Segovia. In 1920 he played for the first time in Madrid. A year later he toured South America, giving 90 concerts. On May 20, 1920 he was awarded a Golden Medal by the National University of Buenos Aires.

He befriended composer Antonio José Martínez Palacios, who dedicated his guitar compositions to Sainz de la Maza. He toured Europe, giving concerts in France in 1926, in Germany in 1927 and Great Britain in 1928. Five years later he toured South America for the second time; Uruguay, Argentina, and Brazil.