Today we’d like to introduce you to Luis Espada.
Hi Luis, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Music found me at five years old. My father made sure of it — he introduced me to Latin music and American music side by side, insisting I hear everything, not just the sounds of our own culture. Growing up in Philadelphia gave that education room to grow: by adolescence I’d been exposed to more genres and traditions than most kids twice my age. I spent three years at Settlement Music School studying theory, classical piano, and trumpet, and being a musician became more than a hobby — it became the thing I was building my life around.
Then life asked for different priorities. I made the choice to put my family first, and that meant stepping back from music as a full-time pursuit. But I never stepped away from it entirely. Between raising a family, I worked as a musician and a promoter, building relationships across the Salsa genre and working alongside some of its most well-known artists — Marc Anthony and his manager at the time, Jose Amoro, along with George Lamond, Lissette Melendez, Miles Peña, Oro Solido, and Michael Stuart. I also played Latin percussion with local bands around the Philadelphia area, and spent time as a singer-songwriter and arranger writing original Salsa music — in the studio and as a craftsman of the sound itself — with the guidance of my music mentors Victor M. Negron, Jr., Ricardo “Richie” Diaz, and international artist Anthony Colon.
Somewhere in those years of playing, promoting, and producing, I saw a real need: Philadelphia — and the tri-state area around it, from New Jersey to Delaware — could use stronger leadership in its Latin music industry. More promoters, more production companies, more organizers bringing real relationships and high standards to the work. In 2024, I incorporated Brio Music Group to help meet that need — built from a lifetime of watching this region’s music scene from every side: as a student, a player, a promoter, a songwriter. Now it’s my platform for contributing the leadership Philadelphia’s Latin music scene deserves.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Has it been a smooth road? No — and I don’t think anyone building something from nothing would say it was.
The first challenge was just balancing life and work. I was raising a family while moving in and out of the music industry, and those two things don’t always pull in the same direction. There were stretches where family had to come first, and stepping back from music meant starting over more than once when I stepped back in.
Then came the practical challenges of starting Brio itself: funding, and building credibility as a brand-new production company in a crowded field. I didn’t have outside investors or a big name behind me — I built it by leaning on my personal network, the relationships I’d made over years as a musician and promoter, and asking people to believe in something before it had a track record.
The hardest moments came from my time as a promoter, dealing with other promoters and doubters — people in the industry who saw a new player as a threat instead of an addition. This way of thinking brought tension to the music industry in the Philadelphia area.
What got me through it was the people I chose to keep close — I’ve always surrounded myself with people who believe in me and support my vision, and it was their support combined with hard work that carried Brio from an idea to a real company. That experience is also what shaped Brio’s mission: positioning ourselves to help both for-profit and nonprofit clients achieve their events and give their audiences the best possible experience — the kind of support I wish had been there for me when I was starting out.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
What do I do:
I’ve spent more than 38 years in Information Technology and around 28 of those years in design — a combination that’s made me a seasoned, technical-and-creative asset in the corporate world. For more than 15 years, I’ve worked as a User Experience practitioner at major corporations across the tri-state area (Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware), designing enterprise systems and tools for both professional and customer-facing applications.
What I’m proud of:
Early in my design career, I built a fully functional website for an Authorized AT&T Mobile phone store for a telemarketing company. That project didn’t end there — it launched a path I’ve stayed on ever since, taking on website work project after project while continuing to combine my technical background with design experience.
What sets me apart:
My technical and design background lets me work in any environment or setting — as an individual contributor or leading small and large teams in the right direction based on requirements and deliverables. I’m organized, I work efficiently toward deadlines, and I know how to engage a team and unite everyone around a shared cause or mission.
Those same skills have positioned me to work with all types of people in the music industry — individual artists, small and large bands, customers, and clients — fulfilling the needs of individuals as well as small to large companies alike.
Music and creativity:
I studied music formally, learned hand percussion, piano, and trumpet, and grew into an arranger and singer-songwriter, doing studio recording sessions and playing in four different bands along the way.
What makes me a viable asset — to myself and to the clients, bands, and companies I work with — is bringing my technical, design, and musical experience together into one place.
How do you think about happiness?
What makes me happy? A few things, and they all point back to connection and creativity.
Strong relationships with my inner circle. That small circle provides mentorship, advice, and support — it matters to me both personally and professionally, and I don’t take it for granted.
Having a meal with the ones I love. There’s something for the soul in having loved ones near, in real conversation, in sharing moments and experiences rather than just being in the same room.
Continuous learning and playing music all day in my home studio. Music continues to fulfill my soul and my sense of self — finding new ways to sharpen my craft is never something I feel done with.
Helping others. It’s genuinely rewarding to see someone make progress on their project or in their own personal growth.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.briomusicgroup.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/briomusicgroup
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/briomusicgroup
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briomusicgroup
- Youtube: @briomusicgroup
