Background Information
Born and raised in Havana, Grammy nominated pianist and composer Manuel Valera since arriving in NYC has become well known in the modern jazz scene, garnering national reviews and lending his talents as a pianist and composer to such notable artists as Arturo Sandoval, Paquito D’Rivera, Brian Lynch, Dafnis Prieto, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Jeff “Tain” Watts, John Benitez, Samuel Torres, Joel Frahm, Yosvany Terry and classical violin virtuoso Joshua Bell among many others.
This dynamic and prolific artist has recorded 12 cds as a bandleader with touring projects ranging from his Grammy nominated group New Cuban Express to his modern contemporary trio to solo piano.
Valera is the recipient of many composition grants - most notably Chamber Music America’s New Jazz Works three different times, the Dranoff International 2 Piano Foundation 2 times and the ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Award. He has travelled the world performing in more than 30 countries at some of the biggest international venues and festivals in the world.
Selected Grants, Commissions & Awards Grammy Nominated Artist, New Cuban Express, 2012
Chamber Music America New Jazz Works 2005, Impressions of Expressions Chamber Music America New Jazz Works 2014, José Marti en Nueva York Chamber Music America New Jazz Works 2017, The Planets.
Dranoff International 2 Piano Foundation 2016 Bacardi Commission, Migrant Voyage Dranoff International 2 Piano Foundation 2018 Commission, Nine Stories for 2 Pianos ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Award, 2005.
Arrangements of Ernesto Lecuona and Gonzalo Roig for Joshua Bell and Orchestra for PBS Commission for Yosvany Terry Bohemian Trio, Impressionistic Romance and Impromptu Commission for Paquito D’Rivera with Jazz at Lincoln
Center Big Band.
Program Notes
MIGRANT VOYAGE
Migrant Voyage is my representation of what it means to be an immigrant in America. The piece represents the hope, the forlorn, the happiness that a person living in exile often feels (sometimes all at once). Living in a new and unfamiliar land definitely has its challenges, and it also has great rewards and at the least as the US constitution states: the pursuit of happiness. This piece is dedicated to all the immigrants who travel to the United States, but especially those who risk their lives by crossing the Florida straits particularly those from Cuba, Dominican Republic and Haiti. In 2015, I was very fortunate to be approached by the Dranoff Foundation about being the 2016 Bacardi Choice Composer. I am very thankful to Dranoff and Bacardi for this honor and the result is the composition Migrant Voyage.
Migrant Voyage is composed to be performed by two classical pianist or one classical pianist and on jazz pianist as an option. Before I started composing this piece, I was very tentative as I had never written for the two-piano format. My research did not yield material that I could relate to, but it did give some ideas. Once in the creative process, I began to realize all the wonderful paths that could be explored with this format. The format gives the possibility of grandiosity but also subtlety and percussiveness. In some ways, it was like composing for orchestra, imagine two at the same time! I was so inspired by the content – emotionally, technically and sonically – that the piece was composed in little less than three weeks.
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