Violinist Ilmar Gavilán, a native of Havana, Cuba, has had a remarkable career that has taken him all over the world. He has performed for Queen Sofia of Spain, and, as a founding member and first violinist of Harlem Quartet, for President Barack Obama at the White House and in concerts and community engagement activities throughout the United States and abroad. As a chamber musician Mr. Gavilán has participated in the Tanglewood, Ravinia, and Angel Fire music festivals, and as a soloist has played with the Atlanta, New Jersey, Baltimore, Detroit, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Hartford, Nashville, Phoenix and Mexico City symphonies, among others.

His U.S. solo debut recording, Aires y Leyendas, and his album Por el mar de las Antilles anda un violín — which comprises music by his father Guido López-Gavilán, including a violin concerto dedicated to him — are available on Amazon and iTunes.

Ilmar and his brother, Cuban pianist and composer Aldo López-Gavilán, are featured in the new documentary Los Hermanos / The Brothers, which tells the story of their shared childhood, their momentous first performances together, and their parallel lives as musicians. Los Hermanos is screening at film festivals worldwide and will be nationally broadcast on PBS in the fall of 2021.

Mr. Gavilán is a first-place laureate in the Sphinx Competition and a prize winner in the Lipinski-Wieniawski and Henryk Szeryng international violin competitions. He received his training at Havana’s Manuel Saumell Conservatory, the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, the Reina Sofia School of Music in Spain, Manhattan School of Music, New England Conservatory, and Rutgers University, where he earned a D.M.A. degree as a student of Arnold Steinhardt.