Biography
When JUNO Nominee Cuban pianist and composer Rafael Zaldivar sits down at the piano, he brings a wealth of inspiration to the keys. His compositions display his percussion expertise, his many years of collaborating with top jazz musicians, and his cultural heritage. Born in Camagüey, Cuba, Zaldivar is carrying on a rich family legacy of musicianship. After taking up percussion and piano at a young age, Zaldivar pursued his studies at the Higher Institute of Arts in Havana. Once Zaldivar came to Canada at the age of 22, he completed a B.A. at the Université de Montréal and an M.A. and a D.Mus. from McGill University. From then on, his musical career has flourished, bringing him opportunities to work with such excellent musicians as Barry Harris, Kenny Barron, and Herbie Hancock. In recent years, Zaldivar has participated in many international jazz festivals, including the Jazz Festival, Rochester (New York), the Jazz Festival of Querétaro (Mexico), the Festival Jazz North Sea (Holland), among others. Zaldivar had the honor of being personally invited to Boston’s Bean Town Jazz Festival by jazz drummer Terri Lyne Carrington (multiple GRAMMY Award Winner) and had the chance to share the stage with this renowned artist. Zaldivar has also played with Roy Hargrove, Steve Coleman, Nate Smith, Ben Wendel, Ari Hoenig, Dan Weiss, Nir Felder, and Greg Osby; and he has recorded with Kurt Rosenwinkel, Miguel Zenón, and Ingrid Jensen. In the fall of 2021, Zaldivar was invited by the Berklee Music College to be a Visiting Artist; there he gave two workshops on Afro-Cuban rhythmic Integration in Contemporary Jazz Composition and Improvisation. Recently, Zaldivar received the Second Award from the International Jazz Piano Competition in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. Zaldivar’s skills as an artistic director, pianist, and composer have enabled him to build and solidify his career both on the Canadian jazz scene and internationally.