Donald Vega is a

Nicaraguan Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the countr ...

-born

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

jazz pianist and music composer.

Early life

Vega was born in

Masaya Masaya () is the capital city of Masaya Department in Nicaragua. It is situated approximately 14 km west of Granada and 31 km southeast of Managua. It is located just east of the Masaya Volcano, an active volcano from which the cit ...

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...

, a town well known for its handicrafts. He was born with a severe

cleft palate A cleft lip contains an opening in the upper lip that may extend into the nose. The opening may be on one side, both sides, or in the middle. A cleft palate occurs when the palate (the roof of the mouth) contains an opening into the nose. The te ...

, for which he has had many surgeries to correct and save his hearing. He fled the country at the age of 15, arriving in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

in 1989. In the late 1990s he was at risk of being returned to his native country as a consequence of the Immigration Reform Act of 1996. With the aid of friends and supporters, he is now a legal resident. Vega received his early education at

Crenshaw High School Crenshaw High School is a four-year public secondary school in the Los Angeles Unified School District, located on 11th Avenue in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The school first opened in 1968 and currently enrolls aroun ...

. He is an alumnus of the Colburn School of the Performing Arts,

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

Manhattan School of Music The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory in New York City. The school offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition, as well as a bachelor's in mu ...

, and the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most el ...

. He is currently a professor at the

, living in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Career

Some of his competitive winnings include The Los Angeles Music Center's Spotlight Award in 1991,

Down Beat ' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chi ...

's 2007 Jazz Student Soloist Award and 1st place at the 2008 Philips Jazz Piano Competition at the

University of West Florida The University of West Florida (West Florida or UWF) is a public university in Pensacola, Florida. Established in 1963 as part of the State University System of Florida, the university sits on the third largest campus in the State University Sy ...

, as well as an original composition featured in the CD accompanying JAZZIZ's October 2008 Education Issue.

Discography

Kirk Edwards: “The AKA Project”, 2022
Eric Wyatt: “A Song of Hope”, 2021
Shirley Crabbe: “Bridges”, 2018
Dan Adler: “Friends On The Moon”, 2018
Ron Carter with Donald Vega & Russell Malone: “Golden Striker (Live at Theaterstubchen Kassel”, 2017
Brandon Lee: “Common Thread”, 2017
Letizia Gambi: “Blue Monday”, 2016
Donald Vega: “With Respect To Monty”, 2015
Clarence Penn: “Monk: The Lost Files”, 2014
Lauren Meccia: “Inside Your Eyes”, 2014
Jason Stewart: “Cyclicality”, 2013
Donald Vega: "Spiritual Nature”, 2012
Ron Carter Trio: “Cocktails At The Cotton Club”, 2012
Clifton Anderson: “And so We Carry On”, 2012
Bryan Carter: “Enchantment”, 2011
Claudio Roditi: "Bons Amigos", 2011
Shirley Crabbe: "Home", 2011 (Produced by Donald Vega)
Behn Gillece and Ken Fowser: "Duotone", 2011
Village Orchestra Playaz, Alfredo Rivera & DJK: “Black Maya Voodo”, 2010
Karen Francis: “Nostalgia”, 2010
Brandon Lee: "Absolute-lee", 2010
Donald Vega: "Tomorrows" 2008
Bennie Wallace: “Disorder at the Border”, 2007
Anthony Wilson: “Power of Nine”, 2007
Ryan Cross and Lorca Hart: “Cross Hart Jazz Experience”, 2006
Justo Almario: "Love Thy Neighbor" , 2004
Jose Rizo's Jazz on the Latin Side All-Stars: “The Last Bull Fighter” 2004
Francisco Aguabella: “Ochimini”, 2004
Al McKibbon: “Black Orchid”, 2003
Ronald Muldrow: "Mapenzi" 2003
Francisco Aguabella: “Cubacan”, 2002
Francisco Aguabella: “Agua de Cuba”, 1999
Anthony Wilson: “Adult Themes”, 1999

References

External links

DonaldVega.com
Official website. {{DEFAULTSORT:Vega, Donald 1974 births Living people People from Masaya Nicaraguan pianists Nicaraguan emigrants to the United States American jazz pianists American male pianists 21st-century American pianists 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Resonance Records artists Crenshaw High School alumni