David Virelles González

David grew up in a family of musicians (his father is a singer and composer and his mother is a flutist in the Santiago de Cuba Symphony).

At age 7, he began studying classical piano at the "José María Heredia" School of Art in his native province. Later he continued his studies at the "Esteban Salas" Conservatory of Music in Santiago. Although classically trained, his native city offered him a rich variety of music that definitely shaped David's musical personality. Additionally, he eagerly listened to his father's collection of jazz records, especially music by great American artists such as Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, and Miles Davis.

In 1998, at age 15, Virelles won First Prize in the Jojazz Competition in Havana. The jury was composed of several of Cuba's most prestigious jazz musicians, and the award allowed David to meet piano legends Frank Emilio Flynn and Chucho Valdés.

Shortly after, he was invited to participate in the album by deceased Cuban trombonist Juan Pablo Torres "Together Again," which also featured some veterans such as Giovanni Hidalgo, Robin Eubanks, Horacio "El Negro" Hernández, and Chucho Valdés.

In 1999, David met Canadian flutist/saxophonist Jane Bunnett during one of her visits to the conservatory in Virelles' hometown. Bunnett, known for her contributions to the world of Latin Jazz, invited David to appear on her album "Alma de Santiago." This album also featured some of Santiago de Cuba's most outstanding artists, such as Tiburón Morales, the Saxophone Quartet of Santiago de Cuba, and the "trova" group Los Jubilados. The album was a great success and was nominated for both the Grammy Awards and the Juno Awards.

In May 2001, Jane Bunnett invited Virelles to Canada to perform at the Toronto Arts Awards and study with some of the most outstanding jazz musicians on the Toronto scene, such as Don Thompson and Brian Dickinson.

In Canada he studied at the University of Toronto and at Humber College. Since his arrival in Canada, David has also studied with jazz legends Barry Harris and Steve Coleman.

A scholarship from the Canada Council for the Arts allowed Virelles to study with Henry Threadgill in New York.

Virelles moved to New York permanently in 2009 and soon performed with major jazz figures, including saxophonists Coleman, Chris Potter, and Mark Turner.

Virelles formed a trio in 2010 with bassist Ben Street and drummer Andrew Cyrille, which played largely improvised music. The pianist later added percussionist Román Díaz to this group. In 2011, Virelles played piano, celeste, and prepared harmonium on Potter's album "The Sirens."

A representative of the avant-garde generation in jazz and contemporary Cuban music is this brilliant Cuban pianist based in New York, David Virelles, for whom music is deep inspiration, movement, and innovation. Since his arrival in the great American city in 2009, this young musician has earned the respect and admiration of the American and international jazz community.

David Virelles Gonzáles is originally from the historic city of Santiago de Cuba, located in the eastern region of the Island. His musical inclination comes in part from his family, a true breeding ground of artists, and his life has always revolved around the arts and music. His father is the renowned New Trova singer-songwriter José Aquiles Virelles and his mother Mercedes Gonzáles has been a flutist with the Santiago de Cuba Symphony Orchestra. His siblings: Alejandro Virelles is a principal dancer with the National Ballet of England, Abel Virelles is a resident trumpeter in Mexico, and Jorge Virelles who works in photography. His aunt Amanda Virelles is also a prestigious pianist and pedagogue at Fayetteville University, North Carolina.

David began his piano studies at the José María Heredia School of Arts in his hometown and later at the Esteban Salas Conservatory of Music. His solid classical training together with a deep interest in the popular rhythms of his land, combined with his natural inclination toward jazz, constitute the musical signature that characterizes this artist's career.

At a young age he performed in the Jojazz Competition for young talents in Havana where he was doubly honored in 1999 and 2000. There he met maestro Chucho Valdés and legendary Frank Emilio Flynn. As a direct consequence of this award, he was invited to record the album Together Again by deceased Cuban trombonist Juan Pablo Torres, along with other distinguished musicians from the country's cultural scene.

David Virelles' professional career really took off from his encounter with Canadian flutist and saxophonist Jane Bunnett who invited him to collaborate on her album Alma de Santiago, a highly successful album that received nominations for the Grammy Awards at its 45th Edition in the category of Best Latin Jazz Album and the Juno Awards presented annually by the Canadian Academy of Arts and Sciences.

In 2001 he moved to Canada invited by Jane Bunnett to further his studies at the University of Toronto and later at Hunter College. There he studied with prestigious jazz musicians such as Don Thompson and Brian Dickinson as well as legends Barry Harris and Steve Coleman. By 2009 he moved to New York where he has established his residence. Since his arrival in this city he has shared the stage and made recordings with many of the great figures of jazz such as Chris Potter, Mark Turner, Steve Coleman, Henry Threadgill, Ravi Coltrane, Paul Motion, Tomasz Stanko, among others; as well as Cuban musicians, Horacio "El Negro" Hernández, José Luis Quintana "Changuito," maestro Chucho Valdés, Román Díaz, and Alberto Lescay to name just a few.

His discography includes the albums Motion (2008) under the Justin Time Label, Barefooted Town (2011) Criss Cross Jazz, Continuum (2012) Pi Recordings, this album was selected as Best Album of the Year during 2012. For his part Mbókò (2014) ECM was considered Best Album of the Year by the press and platforms specialized in jazz such as The New York Times, Down Beat Magazine, The Village Voice, among others. David has also collaborated on Jane Bunnett's productions Cuban Odyssey (2002), on The Sirens (2011) with Chris Potter, on Wislawa (2012) with trumpeter Tomasz Stanko, and on Old Locks and Irregular Verbs (2015) with Henry Threadgill.

The originality and talent of this artist have been awarded on several occasions, among his honors are the Orchestration Award (two years 2000-2002) in the Adolfo Guzmán Music Competition in Havana; First Prize Oscar Peterson awarded by the pianist himself (2003); Rising Star Award given by Canada's National Jazz Awards; Best Emerging Artist at the Distillery Jazz Festival (2004) or the Grand Prize Jazz General Motors at the Montreal Jazz Festival (2006) with his quintet.

David Virelles has embodied in his music his concern for creation and constant learning. His spirit of knowledge has led him to investigate Afro-Cuban folklore which he has conveyed in his works with different experiments created from ancestral sounds and rhythms, ritual, liturgy, along with electronic music, the modernity offered by technology, and tradition. His creations transmit the different bridges that connect contemporary language with the sounds of his own culture. Influences of various kinds that are not translated into music but that are part of the cultural baggage he carries with him and to which he gives life through the piano. "Virelles has come to make a difference in contemporary music in the coming years" (John Fordham, The Guardian)

Virelles made his debut as a leader of ECM Records with the 2014 release of Mbókò. The Guardian critic reported that "Virelles explores ancient sacred Afro-Cuban music and rituals through imaginative fusions with contemporary materials. He does this mostly by using two basses as drones, mixing chord spaces with bursts of surprising improvisation in a flow of styles, and focusing much of the melody on [the two] drummers."

Named number one Rising Star in the Piano category by DownBeat in 2017, Virelles is also one of the recipients of the 2018 Cristobal Díaz Ayala Travel Grant, among many honors received in Canada and the United States.