Born on May 9, 1943, in Medellín, Colombia, Teresita Gómez emerged as a legendary pianist renowned for her mastery of Colombian classical music. Her life journey began with a remarkable twist of fate, as she was left at the Hospital Universitario San Vicente de Paul by her biological mother. Fortunately, she was embraced by Valerio Gómez and Teresa Artega, devoted white housekeepers who lived and worked on the grounds of the prestigious Medellín Palacio de Bellas Artes, an exclusive fine arts institution. This distinctive upbringing not only shaped her identity but also laid the foundation for her remarkable musical career, leading her to adopt the name María Teresa Gómez Arteaga.
At the age of three, Gómez was allowed to observe piano classes at the conservatory, and she began remembering where the students were placing their fingers on the keyboard. Her father, who cleaned the piano studios and offices at night, warned her to not touch the instruments. She disobeyed him and sat at the piano playing songs she had memorized by watching the students. One day, a piano teacher walked in while Gómez was playing a lullaby. The teacher’s reaction was one of joy and amazement, “The Black girl is playing piano!” This event started Gómez’s first weekly Classical piano lessons; later, the piano teacher secured a scholarship for Gómez at the institution.
Gómez performed her first piano recital at the Institute of Fine Arts of Medellín, a prestigious institution known for nurturing young talents when she was 10. Two years later, at 12, she debuted professionally at Bogotá’s Teatro Colón, the country’s top concert center, equivalent to Carnegie Hall in New York City.
When Gómez was 16, in 1959, she began studying Applied Piano and Performance at the National University of Colombia with the Russian pianist Tatiana Goncharova. Two years later, in 1962, she was under the tutelage of German pianist Hilde Adler. Between 1964 and 1966, Gómez studied piano and pedagogy at the University of Antioquia with the Colombian Dutch pianist Harold Martina and graduated with high honors as Concertmaster and Piano Teacher.
Teresita Gomez
Gómez has performed concerts globally and was awarded the Cross of the Cross of Boyacá at the grade of Commander for her artistic career, contribution to musical culture, and honorable representation by the government of Colombia in 2005. In 2017, she was awarded the Golden Juan del Corral for her musical contributions over 60 years as a professional pianist. The Governor of Antioquia and the University of Antioquia honored her for lifetime achievement.
In 2023, Gómez performed with the Orquesta Filármonica de Mujeres, a renowned all-female orchestra, at the Cartagena Music Festival. This prestigious event celebrates classical music and showcases the talents of both established and emerging artists. In 2024, she was featured at the Cafam Theater in Colombia in a historic concert where she paid homage to her homeland and its history and culture. Gómez received an honorary doctorate from the University of Pamplona in Norte de Santander in Pamplona, Colombia, in 2025.
Teresita Gómez has not only mastered the masterpieces of renowned composers like Frédéric Chopin and Johann Sebastian Bach but has now turned her attention to the often-overlooked works of Colombian classical composers.
