Ariacne Trujillo: music from Cuba

Grammy nominee Ariacne Trujillo Duran was born in Havana, Cuba. She began her career as a child prodigy. Blessed with perfect pitch, she’s had an extensive career as a concert pianist and composer. She achieved Master prizes and Special Mentions in national and international Cuban competitions and performed at the country’s top theaters and halls. At age 14, Ariacne was chosen to perform with Matanzas and Santiago de Cuba’s symphonic orchestra. While working as a lead singer, dancer and pianist at the legendary Cabaret Tropicana, she pursued a Bachelor’s Degree in music piano performance from Cuba’s hyper-competitive ISA Conservatory.

In 2002 she arrived in New York City after winning a Residency Fellowship in musical composition at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. Since then, Trujillo has been in numerous significant projects, such as the 14 piece New York Times-acclaimed Timba band “La bola,” where she was the Musical Director, pianist, and lead vocalist. She was the lead vocalist and pianist with The Pedrito Martinez Group for over 6 years, where she performed in many of the most important Jazz Festivals around the world such as:

Red Sea Jazz Fest. Newport Jazz Fest, Umbria Jazz Fest, Montreaux Jazz Fest, Peruggia Jazz Fest, Daegu International Jazz Fest, The Murton Percussion Fest, San Fransisco Jazz Fest, etc.

With her powerful musical presence and versatility, Trujillo has become one of the virtuoso pianists and vocalists from the New York area.

Trujillo recently graduated with a Suma Cum Laude Bachelor of Art in Music at the New Jersey City University and is already on the Master Jazz Program. In 2018 she accepted the Musical Director’s position for the off-Broadway production “Carmen to Havana and Back.” Performing with her Quintet, she has received critical acclaim as the production’s arranger, singer, and Master of Ceremonies. In 2022, she was the pianist of another off-Broadway production “My Broken Language”, written and directed by Quiara Alegria and musical supervised by Alex Lacamore. One of Trujillo’s compositions was included in Terri Lyne Carrington’s book New Standards, published by Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice.

Trujillo’s teaching experience includes clinics at Berklee College of Music, New York University and Duke University, Virginia. Private Tutor at Mannes School of Music, a presenter of workshops at Lehman College in piano and singing. Since 2019, Trujillo has been an adjunct professor at the Jazz Faculty of New Jersey City University. Since 2021, Trujillo toured Peru and Colombia, giving concerts and Master Classes in many schools, conservatories, and universities.

Trujillo’s Unique Style derives from her countless professional participations mixed in with her intrinsic musical instinct. Her music characteristically carries a special treatment of the implicit rhythm of the “Tumbaos,” mixing the traditional Cuban Music with “Timba” and classical highlights, charged with aggressive harmonization with great technical complexity and creativity.

Trujillo has performed, shared a stage, and recorded with legends such as Paul Simon, Paquito D. Rivera, Wynton Marsalis, Steve Gadd, Jonny Pacheco, John Scofield, Javier Limón, Steve Turre, Brian Lynch, Lew Soloff, Taj Mahal, Diego El Cigala, Alain Perez, Jimmy Busch, Derek Trucks, Isaac Delgado, and Esperanza Spalding.

Her vocal technique stems from an opera background with an extensive and sometimes slightly raspy range where she constantly phrases and uses methods of R&B, Opera, Funk, Blues, Jazz, and Soul.

The band:

Ariacne Trujillo – piano vocals

Panayiotis Andreou – bass vocals

Sebastian Nickoll – percussion