The Royal Conservatory Presents: Hilario Durán and David Virelles

Two great pianists on two pianos perform original compositions and works by other seminal Latin jazz composers

WHEN: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2022 AT 8:00 PM
WHERE: KOERNER HALL – TELUS CENTRE
ADDRESS: 273 BLOOR STREET WEST – TORONTO
COST: STARTING AT $35 – BUY TICKETS
SERIES: JAZZ CONCERTS: THE GREAT COMPOSERS

Cuban-born Hilario Durán began working as a professional musician in Cuba’s Los Papa Cun­-Cun Ensemble and in a variety of musical formats, and later was Chucho Valdés’s chosen successor in Cuba’s most modern big band, Orquesta Cubana de Música Moderna. He toured worldwide and performed with Dizzy Gillespie and Michel Legrand, among many others, and was part of Arturo Sandoval’s band, where he was pianist/keyboardist, arranger, and musical director for nine years. Chucho Valdés has acknowledged Durán as one of the greatest Cuban pianists of the 20th century, calling the Grammy Award nominated and multi Juno Award winner “an unparalleled pianist, composer, and arranger of the first order.”
 
Santiago de Cuba-born pianist David Virelles was named #1 Rising Star in the piano category by DownBeat in 2017 and has won numerous awards, including the Oscar Peterson Prize. “His piano style is deceptively simple, concealing complex ideas about harmony and rhythm, and onstage he maintains a distant presence, letting his music speak for itself.” (JazzTimes)