Josu Gallastegui is one of the ballet world’s most admired and beloved pianists. In a career spanning five decades, Josu has won praise for the elegance, excitement, and flawless musical judgment he brings to his work. Susan Jaffe describes his playing as "deeply creative, wonderfully musical, and completely enjoyable to dance to." Cynthia Harvey has dubbed him "a legend in the ballet world . . . one of the finest accompanists."

Born in Bilbao, in the Basque Region of Spain, Josu has accompanied classes for the world’s leading dance companies and schools including American Ballet Theater, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, Dance Theater of Harlem, and the School of American Ballet. Gelsey Kirkland, Allegra Kent, Maya Plisetskaya, David Parsons, Alexandra Danilova, and Sylvie Guillem are just a few of the renowned performers and choreographers he has worked with. A generation of dancers has studied ballet and learned to love music listening to his class recordings.

In addition to working as a ballet pianist, Josu has performed in concerts and recitals around the world. Reviewers have called him "an excellent musician—technically superior, sensitive, and expressive" and praised the "great precision, sensitivity, and transparent quality" of his style. In New York, he has appeared at Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Recital Hall, and St. Patrick's Cathedral. He has also toured extensively in the United States, Europe, Latin America, Ukraine, and Russia. Composer Aram Khachaturian, who attended a concert in Moscow, praised Josu as a "very sensitive pianist and extraordinary accompanist."