Paquito D'Rivera
Short Biography:
Cuban-American saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer Paquito D'Rivera is as comfortable improvising on a Latin jazz piece with his band onstage as he is writing orchestral music for the most celebrated classical artists today. His category-defying work is defined by his curiosity, imagination, and technical virtuosity.
Mr. D'Rivera has created, championed, and promoted a broad range of classical compositions, including his three chamber works recorded live in concert with cellist Yo-Yo Ma in September 2003. Merengue, a piece from that performance, earned Mr. D’Rivera a GRAMMY Award for Best Instrumental Composition.
Mr. D'Rivera's works in the classical realm reflect his curiosity and eclectic musical taste. He wrote Conversations with Cachao, a concerto for double bass and clarinet/saxophone, as an homage to Cuba's master bassist Israel "Cachao" Lopez. In The Cape Cod Files, he drew from on Argentine milonga, North American boogie-woogie, the music of Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona, and Benny Goodman's intro to the Eubie Blake popular song "Memories of You."
D’Rivera was awarded a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship in Music Composition in 2007 and was named a Nelson A. Rockefeller Honoree in 2010. He has also served as composer-in-residence at the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts with the Orchestra of St. Luke's.
His numerous commissions include works for Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Library of Congress, the National Symphony Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic, the Imani Winds, and the Grant Park Music Festival.
— October 2024
This biography can be reproduced free of charge in concert programs with the following credit:
Reprinted by kind permission of Boosey & Hawkes.
Long Biography:
Cuban saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer Paquito D'Rivera is as comfortable improvising on a Latin jazz piece with his band onstage as he is writing orchestral music for the most celebrated classical artists today. His category-defying work is defined by his curiosity, imagination, and technical virtuosity.
D'Rivera has been awarded five GRAMMYs, nine Latin GRAMMYs, and the Academy’s Trustee Awards for his contributions to jazz tango, Brazilian music, Afro Cuban jazz, and classical music, including his compositions and his audacious reimagining of Igor Stravinsky's L'Histoire du Soldat.
His discography of more than 40 albums speaks to his broad interests, including various strains of jazz, an array of Latin music styles, and the classical music tradition. It includes recordings with his ensembles and collaborations with a wide range of artists, including Yo-Yo Ma, Turtle Island String Quartet, WDR Big Band, American Saxophone Quartet, Quinteto Cimarrón, Imani Winds, Buenos Aires String Quartet, and the Barcelona Clarinet Players., The Barcelona Clarinet Players’ recent recording “Fantasias Barcelonicas,” a tribute to Paquito and his music, has garnered four important awards, including the Grand Prize in the World Classical Music Award in Europe.
Mr. D'Rivera has created, championed, and promoted a broad range of classical compositions, including his three chamber works recorded live in concert with cellist Yo-Yo Ma in September 2003. Merengue, a piece from that performance, earned Mr. D’Rivera a GRAMMY Award for Best Instrumental Composition.
Mr. D'Rivera's works in the classical realm reflect his curiosity and eclectic musical taste. He wrote Conversations with Cachao, a concerto for double bass and clarinet/saxophone, as an homage to Cuba's master bassist Israel "Cachao" Lopez. In The Cape Cod Files, he drew from on Argentine milonga, North American boogie-woogie, the music of Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona, and Benny Goodman's intro to the Eubie Blake popular song "Memories of You."
D’Rivera was awarded a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship in Music Composition in 2007 and was named a Nelson A. Rockefeller Honoree in 2010. He has also served as composer-in-residence at the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts with the Orchestra of St. Luke's. His numerous commissions include works for Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Library of Congress, the National Symphony Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic, the Imani Winds, and the Grant Park Music Festival.
This season, D’Rivera’s Concerto Venezolano (2019) for trumpet and orchestra is performed by dedicatee Pacho Flores with the Duisburger Philharmoniker and Alondra de la Parra (German premiere) and the Houston Symphony and Domingo Hindoyan. Concerto Venezolano won Best Classical Contemporary composition at the 2023 Latin GRAMMY Awards.
Other major premieres in recent years include the Grammy-nominated African Tales for clarinet/bass clarinet and violoncello, premiered by Michigan State; Caribbean Berceuse for clarinet quartet and symphonic wind ensemble, premiered by North Texas Wind Symphony; and Dali in the Tropics for jazz horn and orchestra with soloist Chris Komer and New Jersey Symphony. The Journey, a double concerto for himself and cellist Yo-Yo Ma, premiered with the National Symphony Orchestra in September 2022.
— October 2024
This biography can be reproduced free of charge in concert programs with the following credit:
Reprinted by kind permission of Boosey & Hawkes.
