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David Virelles
Photo credit Jose Silva
Background information
Born	1983 (age 41–42) Cuba
Genres	Jazz
Occupation(s)	Musician, composer
Instrument(s)	Piano, electronics
Years active	Early 2000s–present
Labels	Justin Time, Pi, ECM
Website	www.davidvirelles.com

David Virelles is a Cuban pianist and composer known for his work in jazz and contemporary music. His music integrates Afro-Caribbean influences with Western classical and jazz traditions.

Early life

Virelles was born into a musical family in Santiago de Cuba, immersed in both the Afro-Caribbean diaspora's music and Western classical traditions. He is the son of renowned Cuban singer-songwriter José Aquiles Virelles and flutist and professor Mercedes González . Virelles began his musical training at home and later attended the Escuela Vocacional de Artes José María Heredia and the Conservatorio Esteban Salas.

In 2001, Virelles moved to Canada at the invitation of jazz musician Jane Bunnett, after being introduced to her by Santiago de Cuba musician Inaudis Paisán. While in Toronto, he studied at the University of Toronto and graduated from Humber College in 2004. A grant from the Canada Council for the Arts allowed Virelles to study with Henry Threadgill in New York. In 2009, Virelles moved to New York City permanently and soon performed with major jazz figures, including saxophonists Steve Coleman, Chris Potter and Mark Turner.

Later life and career

Virelles' work incorporates a range of musical traditions, blending Afro-Cuban elements with contemporary jazz and experimental music.

In 2012, Virelles released his album Continuum on Pi Recordings, featuring drummer Andrew Cyrille, bassist Ben Street, and percussionist Román Díaz. The album was ranked among "Top 10 Albums of the Year" by The New York Times.

Virelles has released multiple albums on ECM Records, including Mbóko, Antenna, and Gnosis. His album Igbó Alákòrin (The Singer's Grove) Vol I & II (2018, Pi Recordings) explores the musical heritage of Santiago de Cuba and features musicians such as trovador Alejandro Almenares, danzón master Rafael Ábalos, and sonero Emilio Despaigne Robert. It was recorded at the Siboney E.G.R.E.M. studios in Santiago, where Virelles was present during his father’s recording sessions. The album was recognized as Best Latin Jazz Album by NPR in 2018 and it marked the launch of his creative imprint El Tivoli Music.

In 2020, Virelles released Transformación del Arcoiris with Pi Recordings, an electronic EP available exclusively on Bandcamp. His 2022 solo piano album NUNA (El Tivoli Music/Pi Recordings) was included in The New York Times and NPR's lists of the best albums of the year, and received the Aaron Copland Fund for Music Award.

Virelles' album Carta (2023, Intakt Records) features bassist Ben Street and drummer Eric McPherson and was recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studios in Englewood Cliffs.

While Virelles describes his work as "a hundred percent traditional," he synthesizes various traditions to create a unique, personal style rather than remixing elements or recreating existing forms. This approach was showcased in his interdisciplinary work ORO, a Carnegie Hall commission curated by composer Tania León and featuring Cuban drummer virtuoso Dafnis Prieto. The commission piece was premiered at Zankel Hall in May 2024. Virelles is the first musician of Cuban descent to receive this honor; Leonard Bernstein was the first recipient of a Carnegie Hall composing commission.

In addition to his own projects, Virelles has collaborated with artists including Jane Bunnett, Henry Threadgill, Ravi Coltrane, Andrew Cyrille, Reggie Workman, Oliver Lake, Tomasz Stanko, Bill Frisell, Román Díaz, Milford Graves, Chris Potter, Tom Harrell, Wadada Leo Smith, Steve Coleman, Mark Turner, Paul Motian, Marcus Gilmore, Terri Lyne Carrington, Changuito, Chucho Valdés, Stanley Cowell, Hermeto Pascoal, Feya Faku and Juan Pablo Torres.

Awards and Recognitions

Virelles has received various awards and fellowships, including the Shifting Foundation Fellowship, the Louis Applebaum Award, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, award from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Cristobal Díaz Ayala Travel Grant, the Grand Prix de Jazz de Montreal General Motors, and The Jazz Gallery Commission. He has been named "#1 Rising Star in the Piano" by DownBeat Magazine and "Artist of the Year" by Musica Jazz Magazine (Italy). His album Antenna was selected as a “masterpiece” by DownBeat. While a student at Humber College in Toronto, he won the Oscar Peterson Prize, presented by Peterson himself. He is also a recipient of the Herb Alpert Award in the Arts and the CINTAS Fellowship in Music Composition.

Academic Work

Since 2021, Virelles has been a professor at the Zürich University of the Arts. He has also been a guest lecturer at institutions including the Basel Jazz Campus and the Focus Year special program, CalArts, UCLA, the Siena Jazz Summer Workshop, JazzDanmark's Summer Sessions, the Amsterdam Conservatory, Fayetteville State University, and Harvard University.

Discography

As leader/co-leader

As sideman

References

1. ^ Ratliff, Ben (6 October 2011) "New Pilots at the Keyboard". The New York Times.
2. ^ Jurek, Thom "Artist Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
3. "David Virelles Wins the Louis Applebaum Composers Award". All About Jazz. November 18, 2008. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
4. Ratliff, Ben (2012-12-12). "Asking Questions and Raising Stakes". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
5. Davis, Francis (2019-01-05). "The 2018 NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll". NPR. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
6. "David Virelles Seeks Out a Certain Spirit". downbeat.com. 2018-06-01. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
7. Murph, John (January 2019). "David Virelles: Igbó Alákorin (The Singer's Grove) Vol. I & II". DownBeat. p. 65.
8. Le Gendre, Kevin (December 2023 – January 2024). "Ohad Talmor: Back to the Land". Jazzwise. No. 291. pp. 42–43.

• 1983 births
• Living people
• Cuban jazz pianists
• 21st-century pianists
• Justin Time Records artists