Ecclesiastic, choirmaster and chapel master from Navarre who even worked in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. He was born in Pamplona on 25 January 1934.
He studied Humanities, Philosophy and Theology at the Seminaries of Vitoria (Álava) and San Sebastián (Gipuzkoa). At the age of 23 he was ordained a priest and moved to Rome to study at the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music, where he obtained teaching degrees in Sacred Music (1960) and Choral Composition and Conducting (1963). He completed his singing studies in Paris, Salzburg, Kecskemet, Geneva and Bucharest. In Catalonia, specifically at the Abbey of Montserrat, he devoted himself to studying theology and the didactic and vocal techniques of his choir.
During his stay in Rome, he conducted the choirs of the Roman Philharmonic Academy and in this same institution he founded a school of musical education which became one of the most prestigious voice training centres in Italy. With the choirs of the Philharmonic Academy he toured Europe to give concerts in the most important concert halls. He has been a member of juries at international singing competitions. In 1980 he was appointed maestro di cappella at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, a coveted post to which Palestrina and other renowned maestros were appointed. On 30 September he was appointed monsignor. This ecclesiastic, who lived in the Italian capital, cordial and hard-working, was the first Navarrese to wield the baton in the Opera Theatre in Rome, to conduct an audition for the children's choir named, made up of children the ages of five and twelve, from which he obtained excellent performances of works by the great foreign and national polyphonists.
His musical writings include Teoria della musica e pratica del canto corale (1970) and Liber Vesperalis (1990). He has also produced re-editions and re-elaborations of polyphonic works for use by the choirs of the Roman Philharmonic Academy and is the author of numerous articles published in the newspaper L'Observatore Romano.
CRG
- LÓPEZ-CALO, José: "Colino, Pablo", en Casares, E. (dir.): Diccionario de la Música Española e Hispanoamericano. Madrid, Sociedad General de Autores y Editores, 1999. T. 3, pp. 802-3.
KSE 2008