Ariacne Trujillo

Ariacne Trujillo is a Cuban-born pianist, vocalist, and composer whose playing fuses traditional Cuban music, timba, and classical technique into a dense, rhythmically charged style built on the tumbao. Born in Havana, she began performing as a child and by age 14 appeared with symphonic orchestras in Matanzas and Santiago de Cuba, later earning a piano performance degree from Cuba's ISA conservatory while singing and playing at the Tropicana. She settled in New York in 2002 after winning a composition residency at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. For more than seven years she served as lead vocalist, pianist, and arranger for The Pedrito Martinez Group, and she leads her own projects including a quintet and the 14-piece band La Bola. A Grammy nominee, she has performed and recorded with artists such as Paul Simon, Paquito D'Rivera, Wynton Marsalis, and Esperanza Spalding.