Paloma O'Shea Artiñano, 1st Marquise of O'Shea

Spanish nobility

Spanish nobles are persons who possess the legal status of hereditary nobility according to the laws and traditions of the Spanish monarchy. A system of titles and honours of Spain and of the former kingdoms that constitute it comprise the Spanish nobility...

, (born 1936), is a pianist

Piano

The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...

, patron of the arts

Patronage

Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows to another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings or popes have provided to musicians, painters, and sculptors...

, founder and current principal of the Queen Sofía College of Music and founder and president of the Albeniz Foundation

Albéniz Foundation

The Albeniz Foundation , is a private non-profit organization promoting classical music in Spain through the Queen Sofía College of Music, the Paloma O'Shea International Piano Competition, the Isaac Albeniz library and research centre, the International Institute of Chamber Music in Madrid...

.

Paloma O'Shea

O'Shea

O'Shea is a surname , originating in the Kingdom of Corcu Duibne in County Kerry, and could refer to:*Alicia O'Shea Petersen , Australian suffragist...

 was born in Las Arenas

Las Arenas

Las Arenas is a neighbourhood of Getxo . It is an affluent residential area that was built over the sands of a beach where the Gobela creek died in a diffuse delta at the mouth of the Estuary of Bilbao in the early 20th century.It is connected to Portugalete, at the other side of the firth by the...

, Vizcaya

Biscay

Biscay is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lord of Biscay. Its capital city is Bilbao...

, Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

, a daughter of part-Irish

Irish people

The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...

 José O'Shea y Sebastián de Erice and Basque

Basque people

The Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...

 María de la Asunción de Artíñano y Luzarraga, married at Concepción, Madrid

Madrid

Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...

, on 2 May 1935. She started studying piano in 1941 in Bilbao and later moved to France to further her music studies. At age 15 she won the Primer Premio Fin de Carrera and performed as soloist with the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra. Several years later she married Emilio Botín

Emilio Botin

Emilio Botín-Sanz de Sautuola y García de los Ríos, 1st Marquis of O'Shea, is a Spanish banker. He is the Executive Chairman of Spain's Grupo Santander...

, Executive Chairman of Grupo Santander

Grupo Santander

The Santander Group is a banking group centered on Banco Santander, S.A., the largest bank in the Eurozone and one of the largest banks in the world in terms of market capitalisation. According to Forbes Magazine Global 2000, it is the 13th largest public company in the world...

 and devoted herself to promoting classical music in Spain.

In 1972 she founded the Concurso de Piano de Santander

Paloma O'Shea International Piano Competition

The Paloma O'Shea International Piano Competition is a piano competition taking place in Santander, Spain every three years, organized by the Albéniz Foundation...

, which was later named after her and in 1991 founded the Queen Sofía College of Music, a private music school, now one of the leading music schools in Spain.

She was given the rank of Marchioness of O'Shea by the King of Spain in 2008, the Légion d'honneur

Légion d'honneur

The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...

 of France, the gold medal of the Spanish Institute in New York and the Picasso Award of the UNESCO. She has 6 children and divides her time between Madrid and Santander.