There are some musicians who always get classified in the "beyond" categories in the magazine polls. They are usually musicians that are in such a unique area of music that there are few peers to make a single category for their respective instrumental talent and focus. Victor Prieto belongs to that list.
Grammy Winner Victor Prieto is hailed by The New York Times as "A fiendishly skilled accordionist and composer" and by The All About Jazz as “One of the best World music and Jazz accordionists now days”.
He has changed the way musicians and spectators view accordion by revolutionizing both technique and sound (Chord approach on both hands). His love for the traditional Galician music and classical education enriches his compositions with explosive rhythm and colors uniquely combining Galician Roots, Celtic, Brazilian, Jazz, Tango, and Classical music
Victor continues collaborating on world stages with Yo-Yo Ma (Songs of Joy and Peace, Sony BMG Masterworks. "2010 Grammy Winning Album"), Arturo O'Farrill Latin Jazz Orchestra, Cristina Pato, The Maria Schneider Orchestra, Valinor Quartet ("Second Half" 2014 Grammy Nominated album) Paquito D’Rivera, Chris Cheek, Christian Howes Group.
He teaches Master Classes in US Berklee College of Music, "Playing outside the Box", Spain, Italy, Portugal and has headed the jazz accordion studies at the Brooklyn Conservatory, New York and he also was the Chairman of the Accordion department at Adagio Conservatory, Lugo (Spain).
Some of Victor’s awards and prizes are: The Creative Performer award from the Spanish Association of Artists and Performers, and the first prize CMZK’s Concourse of Composition.
Victor Prieto holds a Degree in Jazz accordion performance from Berklee College of Music, where he studied with a full scholarship and a Diploma in classical accordion from Ourense - Spain Conservatory. He is the only one to date to specialize in jazz accordion studies, Berklee College of Music does not offer any classes focusing on accordion. Uninhibited by these circumstances Victor created his own study program applying the expertise offered by educators at Berklee to the accordion. His students are internationally renowned accordionists and teachers.
Victor Prieto is a Petosa Artist.
About his music:
A music vision without labels. A travel through Victors world combining Galician-Celtic music, New York Jazz and Multi-Tonal singing.
Victor's music unites the most beautiful of the cultures from separate corners of the world as no medium other than music can. Imagine the trance-like power of Tuvan singing, haunting beauty of Celtic music, the heat of Latin jazz and iconic brand of New York jazz, united by the brute yet flexible accordion. A musician’s ever-present desire to learn and seek beauty in new things has lead him to learn Tuvan singing, the individual vibration control of the vocal chords and then incorporate them into his music. As a New York-based accordionist and a native of Galicia, Spain he naturally combines sounds and ideas from different genre. His compositions are not only the culmination of this idea but it takes it to another level.