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Donald Vega
Donald Vega was trained classically in piano in his native Nicaragua. He emigrated to the United States at age 14 and found a musical home with the Colburn School of Performing Arts (CSPA). He began his studies there in classical piano with Teresa de Jong Pombo and Dr. Louis Lepley. Vega began learning the language of jazz from mentor Billy Higgins at The World Stage and continued at CSPA with Jeffrey Lavner, then later with bassist John Clayton at the University of Southern California. He went on to graduate from Manhattan School of Music and The Juilliard School where he studied with piano great Kenny Barron. Vega currently performs internationally as the pianist for world renowned bassist Ron Carter’s Golden Striker Trio with whom he has recorded several albums. Mr. Vega is also a professor at The Juilliard School and Hofstra University and sits on the board of BackCountry Jazz, a non-profit organization which provides music education programs and performances to underprivileged youth.
Vega’s debut album, Tomorrows, was released in 2008 to rave reviews. In his sophomore album, Spiritual Nature (Resonance Records, 2012), he was joined by the regal rhythm tandem of bassist Christian McBride and drummer Lewis Nash. Vega teamed up again with Lewis Nash on his third album, With Respect to Monty, (Resonance Records, 2015) along with Hassan Shakur, the great bassist and former Monty Alexander band member, and long time friend and grammy nominated artist, Anthony Wilson on guitar. Donald recently finished recording his latest album, As I Travel, with Lewis Nash on drums and John Patitucci on bass and featuring Luisito Quintero on percussion.
Awards
Grammy Nomination - Best Latin Jazz Album for As I Travel - 67th Grammy Awards, 2025
Guggenheim Fellowship - Composition, 2023
Original composition, “Wailing Jane”, selected for Jazz Times 2008 Education Issue
1st Place, Jazz Piano Competition Pensacola Jazz Festival,
2008 Runner Up, Great American Jazz Piano Competition, Jacksonville, FL 2007
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Continue ReadingHoliday Music with Donald Vega, Band Of Other Brothers, JD Allen, Nicole Henry and more
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Continue ReadingGrammy-Nominated Composer And Pianist Donald Vega Debuts New Sextet And Original Music At Jazzcultural
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Donald Vega
May 15–17 | 7PM & 9PM | New York City Grammy-nominated composer and pianist Donald Vega brings a powerful new chapter of his artistic vision to the stage this weekend, May 15–17, with the debut of his Latin Jazz Sextet at JazzCultural. Performances will take place nightly at 7:00 PM and 9:00 PM, with tickets available at jazzcultural.com. New Music. New Band. Experience NYC Jazz—Live at Jazz Cultural. This three-night engagement marks the NYC unveiling of Vega’s latest body of ...
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Grammy-Nominated Pianist Donald Vega Drops New Single: 'Let's Pray'
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Donald Vega
Grammy®-nominated pianist and composer Donald Vega will release his new single, “Let’s Pray," on Friday, September 19, 2025. Recorded at Samurai Hotel Recording Studio during the 2023 sessions for Vega’s Grammy®-nominated album As I Travel, the track features an all-star lineup: John Patitucci on bass, Lewis Nash on drums, and Luisito Quintero on percussion. Reflecting on the composition, Vega shares: “Music is my way of praying. I happened to write Let’s Pray during the pandemic. But the composition is just ...
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Grammy-Nominated Pianist Donald Vega Unveils New Single Featuring Jazz Masters Lewis Nash And John Patitucci
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Donald Vega
Award winning pianist and composer Donald Vega releases his new single, Gather ‘Round on Friday, June 27, 2025. This single was captured during the recording session for Vega’s Grammy nominated album As I Travel at Samurai Hotel Recording Studio in Astoria, NY, and features John Patitucci on bass and Lewis Nash on drums. “When I wrote 'Gather 'Round,' I was thinking about all those joyful, noisy moments with family and friends—the kind where laughter fills the room and love is ...
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Grammy-Nominated Pianist Donald Vega Announces Release Of New Single 'Two Words: Bud Powell,' March 28, 2025 Featuring John Patitucci And Lewis Nash
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Donald Vega
Grammy-nominated pianist and composer Donald Vega is set to release his latest single, Two Words: Bud Powell. The track, recorded during the 2023 sessions for his acclaimed album As I Travel, is one of three never-before-released compositions from that session. This straight ahead mid tempo tune was composed by Donald Vega and inspired by Bud Powell—one of the first names in Jazz Vega learned after immigrating to the United States and settling in Los Angeles. The song reflects Vega’s deep ...
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All Is Merry & Bright: New Holiday Album By Donald Vega
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Donald Vega
Grammy nominated pianist and composer Donald Vega is getting into the holiday spirit early this year with his new album All is Merry and Bright;(Imagery, 2024). Recorded, Mixed & Mastered in DigitaleXtreme Definition (352.8kHz/32bit) in both stereo and immersive sound, with Multi GRAMMY-Winner Engineer &Producer Jim Anderson. The 2023 Guggenheim Fellow and Juilliard Professor shared his inspiration behind the album: Echoing the traditions of holiday albums by Oscar Peterson and Nat King Cole, and taking inspiration from Vince Guaraldi’s holiday ...
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Donald Vega Earns Grammy Nomination For 'As I Travel' - Best Latin Jazz Album
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Donald Vega
Celebrated pianist and composer Donald Vega receives a GRAMMY nomination in the category of Best Latin Jazz Album for his 2023 recording of As I Travel, an autobiographical suite of compositions inspired by his journey to the United States from his native Nicaragua, and the people and experiences that shaped him along the way. “Always and everywhere melody and harmony is held together by rippling, tumbling rhythms, clearly embedded in body and soul with which Mr Vega leans into his ...
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Pianist Donald Vega Releases New Single: ¡Baila! Dance Like No One’s Watching
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Donald Vega
The new single, “¡Baila! Dance Like No One’s Watching," was released on Friday, September 29, 2023 to all digital streaming music platforms. This new single is from Vega’s upcoming album As I Travel which will be released on October 27, 2023. The album consists of 9 tunes, all composed and arranged by Vega. The album depicts poignant moments in the personal journey of Donald Vega beginning from his hometown in Masaya, Nicaragua through his worldwide travels performing as an established ...
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Pianist Donald Vega Receives Guggenheim Fellowship In Composition
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Donald Vega
On April 5, 2023, the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation announced the winners of this year’s Guggenheim Fellowship. Donald Vega was named a fellow in the Creative Arts category for composition. “...an exceptionally articulate pianist... Vega's single most distinctive characteristic is his romantic lyricism." —JazzTimes The award provides Vega with support to complete his newest recording project, As I Travel. The project depicts poignant moments in the personal journey of Donald Vega beginning from his hometown in Masaya, Nicaragua through ...
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Donald Vega "With Respect To Monty" out July 10 on Resonance Records
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Scott Thompson Public Relations
A tribute to the great living master, jazz pianist Monty Alexander In celebration of the Jamaican jazz icon, Monty Alexander, pianist Donald Vega puts together a hard-swinging compilation of Monty's great, early compositions. With Respect To Monty features an all-star lineup of Anthony Wilson (guitar), Hassan Shakur (bass) and Lewis Nash (drums). Since his debut on Resonance Records, Spiritual Nature (2012), Vega is entirely his own man, completely in command of his material. As the late, great Mulgrew Miller's replacement ...
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Enter the "Donald Vega - Spiritual Nature" Giveaway at All About Jazz!
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All About Jazz
All About Jazz members are invited to enter the Resonance Records “Donald Vega - Spiritual Nature“ giveaway contest starting today. We'll select FIVE winners at the conclusion of the contest on November 12th. Click here to enter the contest
(Becoming a fan of Donald Vega at AAJ automatically enters you in the contest.)
Good luck! Your Friends at Resonance Records About Donald Vega and Spiritual Nature Classically-trained in his native Nicaragua, Vega emigrated to Los Angeles ...
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"A recording with high-caliber vision and carefully crafted compositions…" Downbeat, 12/2023
"[As I Travel] is one of those collections that consistently engages you as it takes you on a musical journey of nine tunes, is full of interesting twists and turns. You will enjoy all of the stops that Vega makes as he travels." - Jersey Jazz, November 23, 2023, Vol. 51, Issue 10
Primary Instrument
Piano
Location
New York City
Willing to teach
Advanced only
Credentials/Background
Contact for more information.
Clinic/Workshop Information
Contact for more information.
Photos
Music
Bop Contest
From: Bop ContestBy Donald Vega
Let's Pray
From: Let's PrayBy Donald Vega
The Answer
From: The AnswerBy Donald Vega
Scorpion
From: Spiritual NatureBy Donald Vega
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Donald Vega
Location: New York City
Instrument: Piano
Publicist: Two for the Show Media
