Arturo Márquez Navarro (born 20 December 1950) is a Mexican composer of orchestral music who uses musical forms and styles of his native Mexico and incorporates them into his compositions.

He was born in Álamos, Sonora, where his interest in music began. He is the first born of nine children. He was the only one of the nine siblings who became a musician. Because of his father and grandfather, he was exposed to several musical styles in his childhood, particularly Mexican "salon music" which would be the impetus for his later musical repertoire.

He started composing at the age of 16 and then attended the Mexican Music Conservatory, where he studied piano and music theory from 1970 to 1975. Subsequently, he studied composition from 1976 to 1979. In the U.S., he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship and obtained an MFA in composition in 1990 from California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, California.

His music incorporates forms and styles of his native Mexico (Soto Millán 1996–1998). The Danzones are based on the music of and the Veracruz region of Mexico. Danzón No. 2 was included on the program of the Simon Bolívar Youth Orchestra conducted by Gustavo Dudamel on their 2007 tour of Europe and the United States.

This opened the door for the discovery of other pieces by the composer that are increasingly being performed throughout the world and extensively in Latin America. His Danzones are increasingly being used for ballet productions throughout the world. He is a popular composer among the Latin American public and is widely recognized as one of the most important Mexican composers of his generation.

Arturo Márquez lives with his family in Mexico City.

On this week’s show we have Danzon No. 2 arranged for brass bands by Derek Broadbent