Joaquín Nin-Culmell was best known for his compositions along the Hispanic tradition. A composer of great stylistic breadth and spiritual depth, Nin-Culmell's musical style stemmed from his Hispanic background both in terms of Hispanic art music, as well as Spanish folk music. During his long career as a composer, Mr. Nin-Culmell wrote ballets, opera, orchestral and choral music, piano music, songs, chamber music as well as pieces for guitar and organ.

Joaquín Nin-Culmell was born in 1908 in Berlin. Nin-Culmell is the youngest son of the Catalonian-Cuban musician Joaquín Nin (Castellanos) and the French-Danish-Cuban singer Rosa Culmell (Vaurigaud). Both of his parents were born in colonial Havana. His older sister Anaïs Nin, the writer, was born in Paris, in 1903, and his older brother Thorvald in Havana, in 1905.

He began his musical studies in Barcelona in 1913-14 with Conchita Badía, his mother's student. From 1914 to 1924 he lived in New York. In 1924, he moved to Paris to study at the Schola Cantorum. In 1930, he graduated with a Superior Diploma from the class of Paul Braud. He also worked with Alfred Cortot and Ricardo Viņes.

In the summers of 1930, '32, and '34, Mr. Nin-Culmell presented his works to Manuel de Falla in Granada. In 1932, thanks to a letter of introduction from Falla, he entered the musical composition class of Paul Dukas at the National Conservatory in Paris. At that time, he had already begun his career as a pianist which took him from Europe to the United States, Canada, and Cuba. He premiered works by Ernesto and Rodolfo Halffter, Joaquín Rodrigo, Federico Mompou and Manuel de Falla among others. He began his academic career in 1940 (Williams College) and later went to the University of California (Berkeley) where he became Professor in 1950 and Professor Emeritus in 1974. In 1962, he was elected Corresponding Member of the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando de Madrid, as was his father, Joaquín Nin. He was also elected to the Academy of Fine Arts of Sant Jordi in Barcelona and to the French Legion of Honor. His works have been published primarily by Max Eschig (now Durant-Salabert-Eschig/Universal Music Publishing Group) in Paris and by Broude Brothers Limited in Williamstown, MA.

Mr. Nin-Culmell lived in California until his death on January 14, 2004. His survivors are the children of his brother Thorvald: Gayle Nin Rosenkrantz of San Francisco, CA, and Charles T. Nin of Mexico, D.F.