Music lives in those who share it

This distinguished son of Panama was born in Panama City on December 2, 1921. He was the son of don Ezequiel Navarro and doña Laura Flores de Navarro.

His first encounter with music took place in the band of Colegio Don Bosco, a Salesian institution where he studied and learned to play the snare drum. He later enrolled at the National Conservatory, from which he graduated in 1941, guided by teachers such as José Luis Cajar, with whom he began his trumpet studies, as well as Cleveland Reynolds, Rebeca de Vergel, and Hans Janowits, among others.

Shortly after obtaining his degree from the National Conservatory, he joined professional life as a musician with Palito Hayes' Orquesta Continental. He soon formed his own ensemble, the Orquesta Imperial de Pipo Navarro, as well as the Conjunto Estrellas Panameñas de Pipo Navarro, where he excelled as director, arranger, and composer.

During his youth, while studying at Colegio Don Bosco, his slender frame changed over time, and he was affectionately nicknamed "Pipo" — the name by which he would always be remembered. He married doña Benigna María Barría, from the province of Chiriquí, with whom he raised his family and had two children: Deyka Ruth and Ezequiel.

His career also took him to Central America and Mexico, where he lived for two years practicing his craft and enriching his musical formation through exchanges with the renowned Panamanian maestro Roque Cordero.

Gifted with a deep vocation for teaching, Maestro Pipo Navarro devoted much of his life to training new generations of musicians. He taught in the Music Department of the University of Panama, directed the National School of Music — where he also taught Musical Structure —, was a member of the Panama Symphony Orchestra, and taught at the Escuela Elena Ch. de Pinate, where he also founded the school's musical band.

Among his most notable achievements were the organization and direction of the Hotel El Panamá Orchestra, where he worked for over ten years; the direction of the First Latin American Festival; his participation in directing the OTI Festival, where he received important recognition; and his role as director of the La Chorrera Firefighters' Band.

Professor Ezequiel A. Navarro Flores left an invaluable legacy in Panamanian music. Among his greatest contributions was the training of nationally prestigious musicians such as Maestro Luis Efraín "Pin" Castro and Jaime Lombardo, as well as memorable musical arrangements including "Amando Soy Feliz," performed by Los Hermanos Rigual; "Basta de Soñar," by composer Pepe Zamora; and "Navidad," of his own authorship. He also shared stages with artists of the caliber of Olga Guillot, Celia Cruz, Willie Colón, and Pellín Rodríguez of El Gran Combo.

Pipo departed this life on November 4, 1981, leaving behind a luminous mark on Panamanian culture. His memory lives on in his music, in his students, and in the affection of all who remember him as a man who was always smiling, generous, and deeply devoted to his art.