Prof. Rafael Rosa

Rafael Rosa, a distinguished guitarist and composer originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico. He's made significant contributions to the music scene since relocating to New York City in 2011. A self-taught musician, Rosa began playing guitar at the age of 14. His passion for music led him to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Popular Music from the Inter American University of Puerto Rico.

In New York, Rosa has performed at esteemed venues including the Blue Note Jazz Club, ShapeShifter Lab, and Dizzy’s Coca-Cola Club. He has collaborated with notable artists such as Tony Award-winning singer Luba Mason in her project Mixtura. Rosa's debut album, "Portrait" (2014), co-produced with multi-Grammy Award-winning bassist John Benitez, received critical acclaim for its fusion of Puerto Rican Bomba and Plena rhythms with jazz harmony and rock elements. His second album, "Axiomatic: Music For The People" (2022), garnered further recognition, leading to his selection as a 2022 Fellow by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation in the field of Music Composition.

An experienced educator, Rosa is part of the faculty at Long Island University's Roc Nation School of Music, teaching courses in Logic, Ableton, Pro Tools, Dolby, and Music Technology Engineering, Production and of course guitar. He has also taught at institutions such as New York University, City University of New York, and Saint John's University.

Rosa is currently working on his third album, "Profe," an exploration of world rhythms and new textures of groove, set to be released in 2026.