David Virelles Piano
Pianist and composer David Virelles was raised in a musical family in Cuba, immersed in both the traditions of the Caribbean diaspora and Western classical music. Drawing from multiple traditions, he crafts a unique, syncretic style of music rather than simply blending elements or recreating past forms.
Virelles has collaborated with artists such as Henry Threadgill, Andrew Cyrille, Reggie Workman, Ravi Coltrane, Terri Lyne Carrington, Chris Potter, Milford Graves, Wadada Leo Smith, and Tomasz Stanko.
He has released a series of highly acclaimed albums on Pi, ECM, and Intakt.
Virelles’ awards include the Herb Alpert Award, Shifting Foundation fellowship, Canada Council, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Cristobal Díaz Ayala Grant, Aaron Copland Fund, Oscar Peterson Prize, and the CINTAS Fellowship. Currently, he is a professor at the Zürich University of the Arts and has lectured at CalArts, UCLA, the Amsterdam Conservatory, Paris University, and Harvard University.