Marta Casals Istomin

Marta Casals Istomin
Marta Casals Istomin (2007)
Background information
Birth name	Marta Montañez Martínez
Born	November 2, 1936 Humacao, Puerto Rico
Genres	Classical
Occupation(s)	Musician and member of the Manhattan School of Music's board of directors
Instruments	Violin and cello

Marta Casals Istomin (born November 2, 1936), who uses the surnames of her first husband, Pablo Casals, and her second husband, Eugene Istomin, is a musician from Puerto Rico, and the former president of the Manhattan School of Music.

Casals Istomin was born Marta Montáñez Martínez was born in Humacao, Puerto Rico, to a family of amateur musicians. As a child she was influenced by musical surroundings which were instrumental in the development of her love for music. She received her primary education in her hometown. Her uncle, Rafael Montañez, taught her the fundamentals of the violin at the age of six. After she finished her primary education, she attended the Marymount School, New York, for four years.

After graduating high school, Montañez was awarded a scholarship to attend the Mannes College of Music in New York City to study cello. In 1952, her uncle Rafael took the 15-year-old to the Prades Music Festival. There she first met the noted cellist Pablo Casals (1876-1973), who was very impressed when he heard her play. Casals recommended that she return to New York where he would accept her as a student. She graduated summa cum laude and joined Casals in France where she became an active participant in the Prades Festival.

In 1957, she married the 81-year-old Casals and together they founded the Casals Festival in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra. As Co-Chairwoman of the Board and Music Director of the Casals Festival, she became a force for the development of fine music on the island. In 1959, Casals Istomin co-founded the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music. When her husband died in 1973, she took upon herself the responsibility of running the festival. That same year she established a string instrument program for young children which has produced most of the string players for the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra. She also acted as visiting cello professor in the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Casals Istomin was named Vice-President of the Casals Foundation and Museum in Barcelona, Spain.