Claudio Concepción, a Dominican journalist and communicator who was a founding member of the Asociación de Cronistas de Arte (Acroarte, the Association of Art Chroniclers) in Santiago, has died, the organization announced. His career spanned five decades in journalism and communication.
Acroarte said Concepción's work covered print, radio, television and, later, digital media, alongside a close relationship with the arts world that he maintained throughout his life.
The organization described him as one of the figures who helped develop the art chronicle, a form of journalism dedicated to covering the arts and entertainment, in Santiago, work he began in print before extending it into radio, television and digital outlets.
Early career in print and radio
Concepción's professional start was tied to the newspaper La Información, where he began working as a journalist and developed his role as an entertainment chronicler.
He also left a mark on Santiago radio, becoming one of the city's first art chroniclers. He shared duties with broadcaster Rafael Octavio Puello, known as "Tavito," on the program "Buenos días Santiago," which ran for 14 years.
Television and a shift to digital
Regional television was also part of his career. Concepción hosted programs including "Solo de arte," "Diálogo farandulero," "De farándula" and "Noche en grande," and for several years took part in "A todo color" alongside broadcaster María Luisa Estévez.
He also moved early into the digital transformation of Dominican journalism. According to Acroarte, he was one of the first journalists in the country to have his own website, at a time when the internet was only beginning to be incorporated into the practice of communication.
Artistic training and honors
Concepción's career was accompanied by artistic training and interests that included music, painting, drawing and the plastic arts. He studied saxophone and solfège at the Escuela de Bellas Artes, the Santiago fine arts school, and in 1973 completed a special course in journalism at the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM), a private Catholic university in the Dominican Republic.
In 2020, Acroarte recognized his 50 years in the profession by dedicating the ninth edition of its Premio al Mérito Periodístico, the Journalistic Merit Award, to him.
The following year, the organization honored him again by naming the office of its Secretaría General after him, in recognition of his status as a founding member and his contribution to the institution.
Acroarte said it mourned Concepción's death and highlighted his career as a journalist, communicator and reference point for the art chronicle in Santiago. Details of the wake and funeral honors would be announced later, the organization said.
Concepción leaves behind a five-decade career in Dominican communication and a legacy tied in particular to the development of artistic and entertainment chronicle journalism in Santiago.
