Recognized as a child prodigy in his native Cuba, Ilmar Gavilán has had a distinguished career as a chamber musician, concerto soloist, and improvisor. Following his first-place win at the Sphinx Competition in Detroit, he co-founded Harlem Quartet, where he has served as first violinist since the ensemble’s debut at Carnegie Hall in 2006. Along the way, he developed improvisational skills and has performed or recorded with such jazz greats as Paquito D’Rivera, Eddie Palmieri, Gary Burton, Eddie Daniels, and Chick Corea, with whom Harlem Quartet collaborated on the Grammy-winning album Hot House.

Cuban pianist and composer Aldo López-Gavilán, praised for his “dazzling technique and rhythmic fire” in the Seattle Times, and dubbed a “formidable virtuoso” by The Times (London), excels in both the classical and jazz worlds as a recitalist, concerto soloist, chamber-music collaborator, prolific recording artist, and performer of his own electrifying compositions. He has appeared at Cuba’s Amadeo Roldán, at numerous U.S. venues including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, and at concert halls in Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico, the U.K., Sweden, Russia, France, Canada, Spain, Greece, Hong Kong, Germany, and Austria.

The new documentary film LOS HERMANOS / THE BROTHERS tracks Ilmar’s and Aldo’s parallel lives in the U.S. and Cuba, their poignant reunion, and their momentous first performances together on stages across the U.S. Also featuring guest appearances by such legendary musicians as Joshua Bell, Smokey Robinson, and Dave Matthews, the film has been screened at film festivals worldwide and was nationally broadcast on PBS throughout the fall of 2021.