Adolfo Mejía Navarro

Colombian composer whose legacy transformed national music and inspired generations of musicians around the world.

Biography

Adolfo Mejía was born on February 5, 1905, in the town of San Luis de Sincé, which at the time belonged to the department of Bolívar, and is now part of Sucre.

He was the son of Adolfo Mejía Valverde, a tiplista (Colombian guitar player) and goldsmith, and Francisca Navarro. At the age of 11, his parents brought him to the city of Cartagena.

He spent his childhood and teenage years in Cartagena’s historic San Diego neighborhood, within the old city walls. There, his deep love for the city began to take shape—an affection later poetically captured in his renowned song Cartagena. He enrolled in the Escuela Normal for teacher training, later joined the San Pedro Claver choir, and in 1918 began his higher education at the University of Cartagena, studying philosophy and literature.

Early in his musical career, Mejía was part of the Estudiantina Revollo alongside Víctor Turpín, played in the Orquesta Eureka, and later joined the Jazz Band Lorduy, considered Colombia’s first jazz orchestra.

A true polyglot, Mejía spoke Arabic, Greek, German, French, Italian, and English in addition to his native Spanish. He was a natural bohemian, often frequenting Cartagena cafés known for their vibrant discussions on philosophy, arts, and poetry. One of his favorite gathering spots was the courtyard of Candita Rojas, a cultural hub where he later honored the hostess with a composition titled Candita, a pasillo.

Although his favorite instrument was the guitar, Mejía’s greatest technical skill lay with the piano. Despite playing several instruments, his deepest passion was always composition.

In 1930, Adolfo Mejía married Rosita Franco, with whom he had four children: Livia, Adolfo, Triny, and Manuel.

Shortly afterward, he traveled to New York with musician Ladislao Orozco. He stayed for nearly three years, performing with several groups including the Trío Albéniz, alongside Terig Tucci and Antonio Francés—resident musicians at both Columbia and RCA.

In 1933, he returned to Cartagena and later moved to Bogotá, where he lived for an extended period. Beginning in 1936, he studied at the Conservatory of the National University and worked as a librarian for the National Symphony Orchestra, invited by the conductor Guillermo Espinoza Grau.

In 1938, Mejía composed one of his most celebrated works, Pequeña Suite, which earned him the prestigious Ezequiel Bernal Composition Prize. This piece, a key example of Colombian musical nationalism, also earned him a scholarship to study at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris, an institution focused on training music educators. There, he studied under Nadia Boulanger and other renowned teachers.

With the outbreak of World War II, Mejía sought refuge first in southern France, then Italy. From there, he sailed back to the Americas, arriving in Brazil. While there, he encountered Polish conductor Leopold Stokowski, who was leading the American Youth Orchestra. Mejía traveled with the orchestra back to New York, where he remained until 1945.

That year, he returned permanently to Cartagena, where he helped found the Sociedad Pro-Arte Musical alongside other local intellectuals, enriching the city’s cultural life.

In 1970, Mejía received Colombia’s National Music Prize, awarded by Colcultura, as well as an honorary Doctorate in Humanities from the University of Cartagena.

His name appears in every major work chronicling the lives and contributions of Colombian composers.

Adolfo Mejía passed away on July 6, 1973, in Cartagena de Indias.