Emiliano Lasansky

The music of bassist and composer Emiliano Lasansky unifies elements of the past and present in exciting and unexpected new ways. Born and raised in Iowa City, Iowa and currently residing in Los Angeles, CA, Emiliano currently maintains a busy schedule as a performer across the West Coast and beyond. Recent highlights include a 2024 composition award in the Bridges Competition - David Baker Prize at the Ravinia Music Center, 2023 ASCAP Foundation composition award as well as a master’s degree from the prestigious Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance at UCLA (formerly the Thelonious Monk Institute).

Emiliano grew up in a family environment deeply entrenched in the world of visual arts. Emiliano’s grandfather Mauricio Lasansky was a prominent Argentine American printmaker, visual artist, and educator. As a child he and his brother Diego would spend summer days and frequent afternoons in Mauricio’s studio, watching his grandfather work on innovative large-scale collages and prints. His childhood exposure to the arts continues to inspire and drive his vision for music. 

            After he finished his undergraduate studies at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, Emiliano relocated to the New York City area. While based in New York, he attended the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Program at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts under the direction of Jason Moran in 2016 and 2017. In 2018 Lasansky released Kin, a co-led record with musicians Daniel Dickinson and Connor Kent for the Outside in Music label. In 2019 Emiliano was awarded third prize in the Scott LaFaro Bass Competition at the International Society of Bassists conference.

            In 2020 he was selected by Herbie Hancock, Ambrose Akinmusire, and Herb Alpert to join the 13thclass of the Herbie Hancock Institute. After relocating to Los Angeles to attend the Hancock institute in 2021, he quickly began performing regularly in Los Angeles and across the west coast. In June 2024 Emiliano released his debut album The Optimist on the Outside In Music label.

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