Down in El Paso He Fell in Love…

with the Piano

 

It all started with a piano. Then came the poetry. Then, somehow, paintbrushes got involved.

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For Esteban Ramirez, music has always been where the story begins. His instrumental music, rooted in the contemporary classical tradition, is piano-led, lyrical, and cinematic, blending the intimacy of chamber music with orchestral richness.

 

He began piano lessons at age ten in his hometown of El Paso, Texas, and soon discovered that playing other people's music wasn't quite enough. He wanted to create music of his own. Before long, he was composing at the piano, beginning a creative journey that would remain at the center of his artistic life.

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Poetry entered the picture a few years later, in an unlikely place. As a teenager, Esteban played piano at a small church on the outskirts of El Paso, where a member of the congregation regularly performed spoken-word poetry. Her emotionally charged recitations stayed with him. Years later, when he began writing poetry inspired by his own instrumental compositions, that early encounter suddenly didn't seem quite so incidental.

 

What began as a relationship between music and poetry eventually grew into something larger. Esteban discovered that his poetry could open the door to yet another artistic world, inspiring visual imagery that further illuminated the music from which it all began. Eventually, he picked up a paintbrush to give that imagery form. And yes, he paints every one himself.

 

That creative progression, from music to poetry to visual art, became the foundation of what he calls Visiopoetic Symphonic Art, a multidisciplinary art form in which music remains at the center while poetry and imagery broaden the lens through which it is experienced.

 

Onstage, those worlds come together with the Esteban Ramirez Octet, an ensemble of piano, cello, clarinet, flute, two violins, viola, and French horn. Before each composition, Esteban performs its companion poem, while his original paintings are projected behind the musicians. The result brings together the intimacy of chamber music, the sweep of cinematic orchestral color, the theatricality of spoken poetry, and visual art in a single experience.

 

His music itself reflects a rather unusual trio of artistic muses. From Mozart, he draws structural clarity and energetic momentum; from Chopin, the flowing lyricism that finds its way into his melodies; and from Barry Manilow, an unapologetic belief in romance. Esteban has never seen much reason to apologize for that either.

 

Along the way, he has released three albums of original music, Serenade to the Moon, Welcome Home, and Fly with Me, and published two companion poetry collections, Serenade to the Moon—The Poetry Book and Welcome Home—The Poetry Book. His work has taken him to stages throughout the United States, but the creative process still begins much as it always has: with an idea, an emotion, and a piano.

 

Now Esteban is bringing all three strands of his artistic life together in his most ambitious undertaking yet. His fourth album, Running with the Sun, featuring a 60-piece orchestra, is scheduled for release in April 2027 alongside Running with the Sun—The Poetry Book, featuring his original poetry and illustrations painted by Esteban himself.

 

And when he isn't composing, writing, painting, rehearsing, recording, or apparently finding new ways to give himself more work, Esteban makes time for another love: gardening and caring for the garden that surrounds the Santa Barbara home he shares with his husband.

 

Esteban holds dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in International Communications and French from Pacific Union College.

"My spirit leads me to instrumental music that is romantic, lyrical, and passionate..."

                                                                                                               - Esteban