GUSTAVO CASENAVE bio

Originally from Montevideo, Uruguay, Gustavo Casenave, pianist, composer , producer, and former Director of the Jazz Department at the Harbor Conservatory for the Performing Arts in New York City, is considered by the Uruguayan press as one of the best pianist our country has (Diario El Pais Uruguay). An active performer in the jazz world and the contemporary classical scene, as well as being the one of the most on demand Tango composer, pianist and educator, in the US. He moved to New York City in 1997, after graduating with honors from Berklee College of Music where he was selected among the ten best composers coming out from Berklee in 30 years (1966-1996) 2012 Latin Grammy Award Nominee, for his track: "Mioqui" from the album "Tango

Casenave" (Watchcraft Music), with special guest Eddie Gomez, Casenave has been touring extensible since 1994 through Europe, Asia , South, Central and North America, presenting his music with different Jazz, Tango, and chamber ensembles, performing at numerous venues worldwide, including: Jazz Festivals, international contests, concert halls, jazz clubs, radio and TV such as: Blue Note (NYC) Walt Disney Concert Hall (LA), Harris Theatre (Chicago) NY City Center (New York), Symphony Space (New York), Chung Mu Art Hall (Korea), Europe Jazz Contest '99 (Belgium "Porgy & Bess" Jazz Club (Vienna/Austria), Lincoln Center (NewYork City) and Kodak Theatre (LA) among many others.Worked as Musical Director, pianist, composer, producer and arranger, of multiple International Tango shows, including: Tango Fire, Forever Tango, Eternal Tango Orchestra, Painting Tango, Tango Casenave, Tango Connection, Tango Buenos Aires, Fontango, Tanguardia, New York Tango Trio, Tango Noir, Avantango and New York - Buenos Aires Connection among others.

With more than 20 years of teaching experience, he is a current guest artist for master classes and lectures at The Juilliard School. He also taught at: NYU, Yale University, University of Florida, University of Uruguay, Waldorf Schule (Austria), and Klagenfurt Music Conservatory (Austria) and directed the Jazz Department at the Harbor Conservatory for the Performing Arts (NYC) for three years since 2009. In 2012, he was invited to participate on Uruguay's most prestigious music series: "Los Grandes Musicos del Uruguay, with a sold out performance at Teatro Solis (Uruguay's National Theatre). He was Bette Midler's Musical Director for 2 years, and worked also as her accompanist and private teacher. He was commissioned to do an arrangement of one of his original compositions, for the ensemble "The twelve cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic", and co-wrote, arranged and recorded the Tango" Volvere" with actor Robert Duvall, which was premiered at Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.

He performed and recorded with several Grammy and Oscar award winners, and many internationally acclaimed artists such as: Yo-Yo Ma, Mark Egan, Jane Ira Bloom, Manolo Badrena, John Benitez, Federico Britos, Miguel Zenon, Avishai Cohen, Bette Midler, Neil Sedaca, Robert Duvall, Charlie Persip, Pedro Giraudo, RayVega, Hector del Curto, Ruth Brisbane and Curtis Lundy among others. His discography includes eleven albums as a band leader, and several appearances in other artists projects in labels such as: Baltic Records, Zoho Records, Fula Records, Perro Andaluz, Kamikatze Records, Watchcraft Music and Green Parrot Records. In 1999, he won the International Award: "Belgian Artistic Promotion" at the Europe Jazz Contest 1999, and he is the composer for the Feature Film "La Cascara", that won numerous awards worldwide, at different film festivals, including: New York Film Festival, Bogota Film Festival and Leipzig Film Festival in 2007.

Current commissions include composing a piano concerto, to be performed on February 2014 by S.O.D.R.E. (Uruguay's National Symphonic Orchestra), under the direction of Maestro Stefan Lano, and Casenave as a soloist. Mr. Casenave , continues his musical journey , providing his audiences with high quality original music, with a very personal feel, reflected not only in his compositions, but on his electrifying performances, as stated by the press.