Federico Cordero, concert guitarist, composer, and educator, passed away on October 9, 2012. He died at home in Puerto Rico of natural causes. His family is deeply affected by his untimely death.

Federico was a child prodigy when he began studying the guitar at age eight in his native Puerto Rico. He continued his classical guitar studies in Spain under the tutelage of Maestro Miguel Rubio, a distinguished disciple of Andrés Segovia. He also studied flamenco guitar with Andalusia’s foremost virtuoso, the late Manuel Cano.

Besides performing in Puerto Rico on a regular basis, he played concerts in Argentina, Spain, Switzerland, Portugal, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Aruba and St. Croix; and throughout the United States. Federico performed at the Guitar Foundation of America conventions held at the University of Akron (1988) and SUNY Buffalo (1993). He served on the Board of Directors of GFA along with the Pablo Casals Music Festival.

Cordero was formerly a professor of Law and Economics at the University of Puerto Rico, as well as a member of the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Puerto Rico Law School and also held a Masters Degree in Economics from Columbia University along with a Doctorate in Law from Yale University.

Funeral services took place on October 14, 2012 in his hometown of Carolina, Puerto Rico. A post-cremation mass in his honor will take place at the Catholic Church of San Fernando Carolina on October 20, 2012 at 7pm. He is survived by his wife, Alice Terrill.