Mexican-born composer, pianist, and bandleader Arturo O'Farrill stands as a towering figure in contemporary music, renowned for his genre-defying virtuosity, leadership, and unwavering commitment to social justice through music. O'Farrill’s compositions have been performed by Dr. Cornel West, pianist Lara Downes, the San Francisco Ballet, and others.  Hailed by DownBeat as "one of our greatest living pianists”, O’Farrill bridges the gap between traditional Latin rhythms, modern jazz, and contemporary composition, continually pushing the boundaries of the art form while maintaining a profound connection to his roots. Beyond performing worldwide, O'Farrill is a passionate educator and advocate for social and political justice, using his platform to champion diversity and unity. As founder and director of both the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra (ALJO) and Belongó (formerly known as the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance), O'Farrill plays a pivotal role in nurturing cultural dialogue through the transformative power of music.

Driven by a desire to blend the rich traditions of Afro Latin music with the expansive possibilities of modern jazz, O'Farrill founded the ALJO in 2002. Since its founding, the ALJO has redefined the boundaries of Latin jazz while continuing to explore themes of cultural identity. The orchestra's performances at internationally renowned venues such as NYU Abu Dhabi, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, as well as its collaborations with prominent artists and ensembles, have solidified its reputation as an organization that transcends both genre and classification. In 2024, O'Farrill and the ALJO performed at Town Hall alongside Brazilian instrumentalists Hamilton de Holanda, Yamandu Costa, and the legendary Cyro Baptista. Later that summer, the smaller ensemble served as the house band for WNYC's Centennial Broadcast, which also featured mezzo-soprano J'Nai Bridges and Tony Award-winner Sarah Jones. In recent years, O'Farrill and the ALJO have also built creative alliances with distinguished choreographers and dance companies, including Alvin Ailey, Ballet Hispanico, Ronald K. Brown, and Malpaso Dance Company. In 2024, O'Farrill scored Arielle Smith’s Carmen, which was given its world premiere by the San Francisco Ballet.

O'Farrill's compositions reflect his deep engagement with both his heritage and contemporary issues. In 2006, O'Farrill worked alongside esteemed composer Tania León on Tabla Raza, a Hispanic suite debuted at Latin Fiesta's Second Annual Hispanic Music Festival. In 2019, The Greene Space, WNYC Radio's state-of-the-art performance venue, named O'Farrill as their Artist-in-Residence. Over the course of four months, O'Farrill curated “Radical Acts and Musical Deviancy," a concert series that showcased original works, and a commissioned world premier, alongside pieces that explore the shared musical heritages of Afro Cuban music and music from the Gulf, Middle East, and North Africa. In 2021, O'Farrill and the ALJO gave the world premiere of Four Questions, written in tribute to Dr. Cornel West, who joined the orchestra for the performance. O'Farrill has received commissions from Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Philadelphia Music Project, The Apollo Theater, the Bronx Museum of the Arts, the Young Peoples Chorus of New York, the New York State Council on the Arts, among others.

In 2007, O'Farrill founded the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance (now known as Belongó), a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving, promoting, and expanding the reach of Afro Latin jazz. Through Belongó's initiatives, O'Farrill continues to promote inclusivity while addressing issues such as immigration reform, racial inequality, and the rights of marginalized communities, particularly within the Latin communities. In 2008, O'Farrill took up residency as an assistant professor at State University of New York at Purchase. In 2014, he was named Director of Jazz Ensembles at Brooklyn College's Conservatory of Music, where he developed a unique curriculum exploring experimental genres influenced by cultures from around the world. In 2019 he was appointed at the UCLA Herb Albert School of Music, where he served as Distinguished Professor of Global Jazz Studies and Associate Dean for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and was recently named the Bill Evans Fellow at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music.  In September 2024, O'Farrill and Belongó announced the launch of a capital campaign for Casa Belongó, an East Harlem musical community center a brick-and-mortar oasis meant to foster community engagement across Greater Harlem, the Upper East Side and beyond.

Over the course of his extensive recording career, O'Farrill has received 6 GRAMMY Awards, 2 Latin GRAMMY awards and numerous nominations. In 2023, O'Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra won the GRAMMY Award for Best Latin Jazz Album for their live recording, Fandango at the Wall in New York with The Conga Patria Son Jarocho Collective.  Four Questions, recorded by O'Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra featuring Dr. Cornel West, also won the GRAMMY Award for Best Latin Jazz Album in 2021. O'Farrill's partnership with the ALJO has yielded several acclaimed projects, including Song for Chico, Final Night at Birdland, The Offense of the Drum, Three Revolutions, and more. In 2024, O'Farrill released Mundoagua: Celebrating Carla Bley with the ALJO to wide praise, with The Wall Street Journal calling the title track "a masterwork" and NPR Alt.Latino claiming "O'Farrill and [the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra can do no wrong." O'Farrill has also appeared as a sideman on various recordings with his mentor Carla Bley, Papo Vazquez, and Chico O'Farrill, among others.

Born in Mexico City and raised in New York City, O'Farrill's musical journey is deeply rooted in a legacy of innovation and cultural fusion. His father, Chico O'Farrill, was an influential composer, arranger, and conductor who played a crucial role in integrating Afro-Cuban rhythms into jazz during the 1940s and 1950s. O'Farrill pursued formal education at the Manhattan School of Music and the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College, where he focused on jazz theory and composition. In the 1980s, he joined the Carla Bley Big Band, before going on to collaborate with Dizzy Gillespie, Harry Belafonte, Lester Bowie, Steve Turre, and more, further solidifying his reputation as a versatile player and adept arranger. In 1995, he was named pianist and music director of the Chico O'Farrill Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra, an ensemble he would go on to lead following his father's death in 2001. O'Farrill is based in Brooklyn where he lives with his wife, classical pianist Alison Deane. Their sons, Zack and Adam, are also musicians and frequent collaborators.