Biography
“Be ruined for the ordinary and obsessed with the pursuit of wonder. That wonder is Jesus Christ.”
The 2024 Grand Prize® Winner & 10-time Global Genius® Award Winner, four-time Latin GRAMMY® Award Winner and four-time Latin GRAMMY® Award Nominee, EMMY® Award Winner, 55-time DownBeat® Music Award Winner (record holder), and 33-time Global Music® Award Winner (record holder), Dr. José Valentino Ruiz maintains a vibrant career as an internationally touring cross-genre performing artist, recording artist (flutist, saxophonist, and bassist) and composer, having performed 1400+ concerts as Headliner in numerous festivals, performing arts centers (including twice at Carnegie Hall), and conferences on six continents (North and South America, Africa, Europe, Asia, & Australia); led 40+ non-profit mission trips; delivered 110+ keynotes, concerts, workshops in academic sectors; consulted numerous Fortune 500 companies; produced 150+ albums and 10 documentaries; and published 100+ research articles. His innovative contributions and company have significantly impacted the music industry, generating substantial value and recognition.
Dr. José Valentino Ruiz holds pivotal roles as Founder & CEO of JV Music Enterprises, a serial-award-winning music enterprise where he: 1) delivers exhilarating cross-genre concerts internationally, 2) produces top-tier albums, media, and film music, and 3) offers keynotes, masterclasses, and articles for educational and business organizations. He is also Expert Columnist on Music Business & Creative Enterprise Leadership at F-flat Books; former Music Producer at Hayden5; Global Director of Entrepreneurial Initiatives at the Global Institute for Music Research; and Founder, Coordinator, and Associate Professor of the University of Florida’s Music Business & Entrepreneurship program.
INTERNATIONAL AWARDS IN PERFORMANCE, PRODUCTION, ENGINEERING, COMPOSITION, BUSINESS, ENTREPRENEURSHIP, DIGITAL MEDIA, COMMUNICATIONS, & EDUCATION
Legendary artists describe José Valentino’s artistry on the bass guitar as "Very soulful and heartfelt!" (Multi-GRAMMY® Award Winner, John Patitucci) and "Amazing and incredible!" (Bass Magazine’s three-time Bassist of the Year® Award Winner, Victor Wooten); on the saxophone as "Genius!" (Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, Paquito D’Rivera) and "Openly and unequivocally speaks beyond" (multi-Oscar® Award Winning film musician, Pedro Eustache); and on the flute as "Playing the flute with fire!" (National Endowment of the Arts® Jazz Master, Hubert Laws); and "The best improvisor on flute!" (Lifetime Achievement Award® Winning flutist, Jim Walker).
Valentino’s international awards span multiple fields, including music, business, entrepreneurship, digital media production, communications, and education. His accolades include four GRAMMY® Awards (2022 Best Latin Children’s Album, 2022 Best Christian Album in Spanish, 2020 Best Contemporary Classical Composition, and 2019 Best Christian Album in Spanish) and four GRAMMY® Award Nominations (2024 Best Instrumental Album; 2023 Best Instrumental Album; 2016 Best Instrumental Album; and 2015 Best Latin Jazz Album). Additionally, he has earned an EMMY® Award (2018 Best Cultural Documentary), two International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences Anthem® Awards (2024 & 2023 Education, Art, and Culture—Best Strategy for the entrepreneurial education docuseries, Getting to the GRAMMY® and Beyond), and the Gospel Music Association’s Dove® Award (2022 Spanish Language Album of the Year). As a producer and engineer of children’s music albums, Valentino made history with the album A La Fiesta de La Música Vamos Todos, which became a featured exhibit at the 25th Annual Latin GRAMMY® Awards Multi-Museum Exhibition (GRAMMY® Museum in LA, The Paley Center for Media in NY, and Gary Nadar Arts Centre in Miami). This album was notable for featuring Jaden Suarez, the youngest individual to win a GRAMMY® or Latin GRAMMY®. Valentino also received the Parents’ Choice® Award (2017 Gold Medal for Children’s Music).
Unprecedentedly, Valentino has won ten Global Genius® Awards (2024 Grand Prix® Award, 2024 Season Top 1 Prize®, 2024 Platinum® Prize for Concerto, 2024 Platinum® Prize for Composition, 2024 Platinum® Prize for Chamber Music, 2024 Platinum® Prize for Jazz, 2024 Platinum® Prize for Technical Mastery Genius® Special Award, and 2022–2024 Outstanding Teacher Award®); fifty-five Downbeat Music® Awards (from 2006–2024, as a competitor and adjudicator in categories such as Jazz Soloist, Small Jazz Group, Blues/Pop/Rock Soloist, Blues/Pop/Rock Group, Latin Group, Engineered Studio Recording, Engineered Live Recording, and Classical Soloist); and thirty-three Global Music® Awards (2024 Instrumental Album (Gold); 2024 Instrumental Marimba Album; 2024 Latin Jazz Album; 2024 Andean-American Folk Album; 2024 Latin Children's Music Album; 2024 Brazilian Jazz Ensemble category; 2024 Composition category; 2024 Latin Jazz Big Band; 2024 Instrumentalist Video; 2023 Global Choir Álbum; 2023 Instrumentalist (Gold); 2023 Recording/Production (Gold); 2023 Jazz Fusion Album; 2023 Concept (x2); 2023 Creativity/Originality (x2); 2023 Duo Album; 2023 Latin Jazz Album; 2023 Instrumentalist; 2023 Jazz Performance (x2); 2023 Christmas Album; 2022 Contemporary Classical Album (x2); 2022 Mixed-Genre Album; 2022 Alternative Music Album; 2022 Vocal Jazz Album; 2022 Experimental Music Album; 2022 Nuevo Flamenco Album; 2022 Funk Fusion Album; 2018 Album of the Year; 2018 Meditation Music Album).
His other awards include the Yamaha Young Performing Artist® Award (2006 Flute), five United Kingdom Music Industry® Awards (Best Instrument – Flute), the ARPA® Award (2022 Best Male Vocal Album), an ARPA® Award Nomination (2022 Album of the Year), and the International Singer-Songwriters Association® Award (2023 Best International Female Album of the Year). He has also received three Erik Satie International Music Competition Prizes (2024 Diamond Prize® for Concerto "Found Connections," Platinum Prize® for Original Composition "Highland Serenade," and the Excellent Creativity Special Prize® for Video Production); two 2024 UK International Music Competition Prizes (Absolute First Prize® for Original Composition "Highland Serenade" and Master Prize® for "Found Connections"); and the 2024 Beethoven-DaVinci International Music Competition Grand Prize® Award (overall best performer) and Platinum Prize® Award for Concerto performance.
In business and digital content strategy, Valentino has earned Inc. Magazine's Best in Business® Award (2022 Advertising Company), Inc. Magazine's Power Partner® Award (2022 B2B Company), and Fast Company's Top 10 Most Innovative Company® Award (2022 Video Agency). He is also a recipient of two Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts Davey® Awards (2023 Film/Video: Education and 2022 Virtual & Remote Experiences), four Association for Marketing & Communication Professionals Audio Visual Arts Digital® Awards (2024 Platinum for Televised Broadcast, and 2023 Platinum, 2023 Gold, and 2022 Gold for Long Form Music Videos), and two Communicator® Awards (2023 and 2024 Consumer Marketing & Communication: Film & Video–Use of Music). He has been honored with the University of South Florida Outstanding Young Alumni® Award and Hillsborough County's Commendation® Award for Excellence in Community Entrepreneurship.
In film, Valentino has received the Prix CANAL+ Special 50th Anniversaire Award® (2024 Deauville Festival du Cinéma Américain), the New Vision® Award and Main Feature Film Award® (2014 Bahamas International Film Festival), Best American Feature Film® (2014 Champs-Élysées Film Festival), Best Dramatic Film® and Best Featured Film® (2014 Chelsea Film Festival), and Best Shorts & Narrative Documentary® (2016 Miami Independent Film Festival). For his work on The Asylum, he received the University® Award for Most Impactful Education Value® (2023 Paladino d'Oro Sports Film Festival) and Honorary Showing® at the 2024 Miami International Film Festival. Additional accolades include Best Short Film® and Best Documentary® (2006 and 2009 Gasparilla International Film Festival for "Breaking Point" and "Improv Island") and official selections at prestigious festivals in 2014 for "The Sunbelt Express" at the New Hampshire Film Festival, New Orleans Film Festival, Napa Valley Film Festival, Tall Grass International Film Festival, and Heartland International Film Festival.
Valentino's business ventures, productions, and leadership initiatives have garnered recognition from prominent global media outlets, including Inc. Magazine, Fast Company Magazine, Fortune Magazine (twice), The Economist, USA Today, DownBeat Magazine, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Yahoo Finance!, The Miami Herald, Billboard Magazine, CNN Entertainment, Rolling Stone Magazine (twice), and For Bass Players Only Magazine (twice).
PERFORMANCE & PRODUCTION
Among 150+ albums produced, Valentino's critically acclaimed and award-winning as a solo artist include A Traveler's Journey; Soul Speaks: A Lyrically Soloistic Bass Project; Remembering; Expressions: The Jazz Piano Album; A Walk With God; We Are One: An Exploration of Latin American Music; Ahora Más Que Nunca; Eternal Power; His Presence; His Power; Shade & Color; Real & Raw: Live Sessions; Spirit; Embarkation: The Resiliency of Humanity Amid COVID-19; Rompiendo Fronteras (Breaking Boundaries); FAMILIA: A Long-Awaited Dream Come True; Jubilee; In the Twinkling of an Eye; Cuerdas de Corazón: Homenaje a Arturo Bermudez; Keys to the Groove; Claude Bolling Goes Latin: Suite for Flute & Latin Music Ensemble; Sound (EP); Into the Night (EP); Avantguardia; A La Fiesta de la Música Vamos Todos; En Busca del Gramm Dorado; Ramirez Reimagined: Misa Criolla y Navidad Nuestra; and Found Connections: Concerto for Multi-Instrumentalist & Wind Symphony featuring José Valentino
As a leader and co-artist with his various bands, José Valentino has headlined performances on renowned stages, including Carnegie Hall (twice), Tanglewood Hall, Clearwater Jazz Holiday (twice), Ruth Eckerd Hall (twice), Musikfest (the largest non-gated music festival in the USA), Seabreeze Jazz Festival (three times), Uptown Music Festival (twice), and the Free Chapel’s Christmas Spectacular (seven concerts, recognized as the largest Christmas concert production in the Southeastern USA). His musical journey has also included captivating audiences at ULTRA Music Festival, St. Armand’s Jazz Festival (five times), Sarasota Jazz Festival, St. Pete Jazz Festival, St. Pete Latin Jazz Festival, Clearwater Latin Jazz Festival, HAPCO Jazz Series, World Music Festival (twice), Pilgrimage Festival, Winter Park Jazz Festival, DC Jazz Festival, Jacksonville Jazz Festival, and the "Sounds of the Season" concerts at the Curtis M. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts (five times).
Internationally, José Valentino’s music has resonated on stages across the globe, with performances in Spain, Greece, Turkey, Liberia, Guatemala (three times), Nicaragua (four times), Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, Canada, Germany, Austria, Hungary, France, Uruguay, and throughout the United States. Notable venues include El Choliseo and El Conservatorio de Puerto Rico (five times), as well as the NAMM Show (nine times). He has delivered memorable concerts at iconic locations such as the Reilly Arts Center, Mahaffey Theater, Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Ruth Eckerd Hall, The Palladium Theater (four times), and the RCA Dome, where he performed for an audience of 50,000 people. As a collaborative performing artist, José Valentino has headlined, opened for, and recorded albums alongside GRAMMY® Award winners and music legends, including Chick Corea, Paquito D’Rivera, Alex Acuña, Jim Walker, Marcos Witt, Brian Bromberg, Abraham Laboriel, Victor Wooten, Chucho Valdés, Aaron Neville, Renesito Avich, Marcos Sanchez, Dave Weckl, John Patitucci, Gaither Band, El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, Willard R. Kesling, Maharajah Flamenco Trio, and Spyro Gyra.
As former Music Producer, Valentino worked for American Idol and X-Factor television series and the 2022 NETFLIX hit series, "La Reina del Sur (Season 3)" as a feature with music produced by three-time EMMY® Award Winner, Eduardo "Gualo" Jaramillo. Currently, Valentino serves as a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and engineer for Gualo Music & Sound LLC. and has helped score the multi-award-winning documentaries, "The Asylum" and "Art Vessel." As former Music Producer for Hayden5 (2009-2023), Valentino's productions were a part of numerous nationally syndicated commercials for major companies and cultural documentaries directed by Emmy® Nominated Producer, Todd Wiseman Jr.
SCHOLARSHIP IN ART ENTREPRENEURSHIP, BUSINESS, & MUSIC INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP
Valentino’s peer-reviewed academic research, performances, compositions, and keynotes have been presented at Musikfest's Music Industry and Education conference, International Society for Music Education, Global Institute for Music Research, Association for Popular Music Education (x4), Society for Music Teacher Education, National Association for Music Education, Florida Music Educators Association (x7), Society for Arts Entrepreneurship Education (x6), National Flute Association (x9), International Jazz & Entrepreneurship Camp (x3), Global Music Production and Entrepreneurship Summit, International Jazz & Entrepreneurship Camp (x3), Aspen Music Festival (Jazz Academy), TEDx Talk, Florida Music Educators Association, Florida Flute Association, World Flute Society, International Guitar Foundation of America Conference (x2), UF International Piano Festival, National Opera Association, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, Latin Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Gospel Music Association, Jazz Education Network (x2), The Midwest Clinic for Band and Orchestra, UF Music Industry Leadership Day, Digital Music Entrepreneurship & Leadership Summit, among many others.
Valentino's thought leadership and empirical studies have been featured in numerous top-tier peer-reviewed journals worldwide. His work has been published in the International Journal of Music Performative Research, International Journal of Music & Cultural Studies, International Journal of Music Entrepreneurship & Leadership, Open Journal of Music Education, International Journal of Health and Music, International Journal of Music Pedagogy, Artivate: A Journal of Entrepreneurship in the Arts, Journal of Arts Entrepreneurship Education (twice), Journal of Popular Music Education (twice), College Music Symposium, National Association for Music Education (thirteen times), Association for Popular Music Education (six times), Music Business Journal (Berklee), International Journal of Community Music, International Research Forum for Music Performance & Artistry, International Research Forum for Music & Wellbeing, International Research Forum for Music Business & Innovation, International Research Forum for Music Administration & Governance, International Research Forum for Cross-Cultural Music & Issues, International Research Forum for Music Pedagogy & Practice, International Research Forum for Global Music Education, International Research Forum for Music & Multimedia Production, International Research Forum for Music Improvisation & Composition, International Trombone Journal (three times), Music Teacher National Association E-Journal, American Music Teacher, Music Teacher National Association Business Digest, Kansas Music Review (twice), Fflat-Books, Journal of Undergraduate Research, Voyage Magazine, Canvas Rebel Magazine (twice), Bold Journey Magazine (twice), The Conversation (three times), All About Jazz, The Flute View, The Flute Examiner, Flutist Quarterly, and other scholarly outlets.
Currently, he serves as the Editor-in-Chief for the International Journal of Music Entrepreneurship & Leadership and Expert Columnist of Music Business & Expert Columnist in Music Business & Creative Enterprise Leadership for F-flat Books. Formally, Valentino served as Co-Editor of Artivate: A Journal of Entrepreneurship in the Arts in 2023.
GLOBAL AMBASSADORSHIPS & ENDORSEMENTS
Valentino serves as the Global Ambassador and Clinician for Sefarad Flutes® (flute), Bari Mouthpieces & Reeds® (for saxophone), Wyn Bass Guitars® (fretless), YAMAHA® Bass Guitars (4-string), Faith Guitars (acoustic bass guitar), Tune Bass Guitars® (4-string), Kiki Baby Basses®, Black Diamond Strings®, and Super Sensitive Strings. Previously, he has held roles as Global Ambassador for Trevor James Saxophones® and Trevor James Flutes®, and served as the Strategic Communications Director at Worldwind Music Ltd®.
ACADEMIC CREDENTIALS & PRIOR EXPERIENCE IN EDUCATION
Credentially, Dr. José Valentino Ruiz holds a Bachelor of Arts (B.A. '09) in Music Theory, Master of Music (M.M. '12) in Instrumental Performance, Doctor of Ministry (D.Min. '15) in Global Outreach & Missiology, and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D. '16) in Music Education, and Doctor of Biblical Exposition (D.B.E. '24) with a concentration in Family Entrepreneurship (August 2024). Prior professional experience include 1) Director of Global Entrepreneurship Initiatives at the Diaz Music Institute 501C3 (2017-2022); 2) Assistant Professor of Music Business, Production, and Jazz (2016-219); 3) Instructor of Record & Course Developer of Music Production, Commercial Music Education, and Ethnomusicology at the University of South Florida (2013-2016); 4) Youth Music Director & Director of Music Education for At-Risk Students at E.D.G.E. Program in Westmore Church of God (2016); and 5) Music Teacher at Pepin Academies Special Needs Charter School (2015).