Juan Prada

About Juan Prada

Born in La Habana (Cuba) in 1965. He studied piano, orchestral direction and composition, graduating at the Instituto Superior de Arte in La Habana. Integrated several groups such as “Cohesion” (vocal music) and “Arte Vivo”. Founded in 1989, “Vidrio y corte”. He accompanied several figures of Cuban song including Noel Nicola, Miriam Ramos and Argelia Fragoso.

In 1994 he settled in Uruguay, joined several groups as the “Trio Piazzolla'93”, “Patakin”, “Confusion”, and “Madretierra” among others. He was also founder of “Latín banda”, “Salu” and “Habaname”, and has performed as guest of the Symphonic Band of Montevideo on several occasions. Both as a performer and Conductor.
Prada has performed in Cuba, Finland, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil, United States, Germany and Uruguay, which was nationalized and lives today.

He participated in several festivals, including several editions of the “International Festival of Contemporary Music in La Habana” “International Festival of Boleros de Oro” (Habana 1993), “International Festival of Boleros” (Venezuela 1993), Benny Moré (Cuba, 1994), Third International Festival “Jazz del Sur” (Uruguay 1996), International Jazz Festival "Paco Mañosa" (Uruguay, 2004), and at international meetings of jazz "Jazz a la Calle" (Uruguay 2007, 2008, 2009, 2014 and 2018), “Festival de Jazz de Pelotas”, Rio Grande del Sur, Brazil 2010 and 2013, “SAN JOSE JAZZ FESTIVAL 2011”, (California-USA), “IV JAZZ FESTIVAL MONTEVIDEO (Uruguay 2011), and “Jazz an Rheim 2013” in Germany among others.

In 2006 was presented with his trio at the “Centro Cultural General San Martin in Buenos Aires”, with the participation as a guest of the multi award-winning, the Canadian trompetist "Brownman", and that same year “Juan Prada TRIO” was one of the finalist “V INTERNATIONAL CONTEST OF INTERPRETERS OF JAZZ” of Granada in Spain representing Uruguay.

Juan Prada won three times the National Composition Prize by the National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba, the National Award Music of Uruguay in 2012 and 2017, and obtains The Fellowship Fund for Training and Artistic Creation "Justino Zavala Muniz" 2012 in Uruguay.

On several occasions he was invited as a pianist by the Montevideo Symphonic Band, and in 2014 was summoned as a Conductor in twenty-two concerts in the neighborhoods in the city.

In November 2015 is selected for an Artist Residency at the Federal University of Pelotas in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, to participate in the project PONTO A PUNTO, done by the Ministry of Culture of the Federal Government.

In November 2016 they obtained the opposition contest, the position of Music Teacher, and the accompanying pianist, in the Contemporary Dance and Folklor Divisions of the Artistic Training Schools of SODRE in Uruguay.

In January 2018 he participated in the International Meeting of Musicians "Jazz a la Calle", integrating the band of the Outstanding Saxophonist and German Composer Reiner Witzel.

He has participated as an extensive discography cesionist and also has executed and composed music for films, Dance, Audiovisual and Academy music and currently combines teaching with his interpreter, composer and orchestrator career.

In 2012, He released independently his second discografic work "PLEGARIAS"

As a composer, his works have been performed by different groups among them: wind Quintet in Havana (Cuba), Chamber Orchestra "Brindis de Salas" (Cuba), Orchestra "SARABANDA" (Cuba), Big Band "central station" (Uruguay) and Symphonic Band of Montevideo (Uruguay), among other.