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ELIO VILLAFRANCA – Pianist, Composer, Cultural Activist

Born in the province of Pinar del Río, Cuba, Elio Villafranca is a Steinway Artist, cultural activist, and one of the most innovative voices in modern jazz. A Grammy-nominated composer and pianist, he is a 2021 Guggenheim Fellowship recipient and a two-time Grammy nominee. He was named Rising Stars Pianist in the 2019 DownBeat Critics Poll and Rising Stars Keyboard winner in 2018. In 2017, Villafranca became the first Cuban-born artist to receive the Sunshine Award, honoring excellence across the Caribbean, South and Central America, and Africa. In 2014, Jazz at Lincoln Center presented him with its inaugural Millennium Swing Award for his visionary contributions to jazz and Afro-Caribbean music.

Originally trained as a painter, Villafranca studied classical piano, percussion, and composition at Havana’s prestigious Instituto Superior de Arte. Since relocating to the U.S., he has emerged as a leading figure among contemporary jazz pianists, blending classical technique with jazz language and the deep rhythmic traditions of the African diaspora. His debut album, Incantations/Encantaciones (Universal Latin, 2003), was named among JazzTimes’ 50 Best Jazz Albums of the Year. His most recent release, Standing by the Crossroads (ArtistShare), was selected by DownBeat Magazine as one of the Best Jazz Albums of 2023.

Villafranca’s discography includes ten acclaimed albums as a leader and collaborations with jazz legends such as Chick Corea, Wynton Marsalis, Johnny Pacheco, Pat Martino, Paquito D’Rivera, Joe Lovano, Pat Martino, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Billy Hart, David Murrey, Lewis Nash, Jon Faddis, Billy Harper, and Steve Turre. In 2001, he was commissioned by WHYY-TV (PBS) to compose the score for Murals, a documentary series exploring Philadelphia’s public art. His 2009 album received a Grammy nomination for Best Latin Jazz Album, and his 2014 project Caribbean Tinge (Motéma) was internationally praised and nominated for the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik. That same year, Chick Corea handpicked Villafranca as one of five pianists to perform at the inaugural Chick Corea Jazz Festival at Jazz at Lincoln Center.

In 2018, he released CINQUE (ArtistShare), a powerful double album inspired by Joseph Cinqué and the Amistad rebellion. The album earned a Grammy nomination and further established Villafranca’s reputation as a leading composer of Afro-Caribbean jazz. That year, he also served as Artist-in-Residence with the Miami Symphony Orchestra. Most recently, Villafranca premiered his large-scale big band suite TRES AGUAS, commissioned by Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, performed at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Rose Theater.

A passionate educator and author, Villafranca is on the jazz faculty at The Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, Princeton University, and Temple University. In 2019, he published his first children’s book, Who Ate the Pie?, followed by Habana Blues Mosaic in 2022, a visual and written companion to his album Standing by the Crossroads. He is currently completing Cubano! – The Evolution of Popular Cuban Piano Styles, a book to be release in early 2026,for musicians and music schools that explores the historical and stylistic development of Cuban piano traditions through analysis, interviews, and performance practice.

Press Quotes

“Like the maestro [Ellington], Villafranca invokes indigenous traditions through the judicious use of percussion and woodwind/brass tonalities, as well as rhythmic and harmonic textures on his and other soloists’ statements. In both his playing and his composition, Villafranca summons powerful emotions.”

— JazzTimes Magazine

“Pianist and composer Elio Villafranca is an inspired and visionary musician... I am profoundly moved by Elio's vision and musicianship. He is a treasured member of the family here at Jazz at Lincoln Center.”

— Wynton Marsalis

“Elio’s music is passionate. A brand new application of ancient ways.”

— Chick Corea

“[Elio Villafranca] writes and plays with passion and a deep understanding of musical nuance, with chops equal to some of the greatest pianists Cuba has ever produced.”

— DownBeat Magazine

“The musical history of Cuba is full of extraordinary pianists. Elio Villafranca is amongst the best representatives of the new generation of Cuban pianists and composers.”

— Paquito D’Rivera

Top 50 Best Albums (All Genres) & Top 10 Latin Jazz Albums

— NPR