Juan Mari Beltran Argiñena (San Sebastian, 1947) is a musician, composer, instrumentalist, researcher, and professor of music. The overall technique of his work is to seek out and research music, musicians, and instruments. The San Sebastian-native has been, and is currently a member of different groups, with which he has published various records.
In the field of collection and research, he has published various works regarding musical instruments, play-dances, and popular music. He has published several books, along with other writings. One of his most noteworthy works is Txalaparta, a project comprised of a book including a great wealth of texts, illustrations, sheet music, and photographs, together with a CD of 18 original pieces.
With the funds from popular music collected throughout his life, he created the Popular Music Documentation Centre “Herri Musikaren Txokoa” together with the Oiartzun City Council in 1995, which was inaugurated in 2002. He currently directs Soinuenea, Herri Musikaren Txokoa, a responsibility he manages alongside his work as a music professor and researcher.