Donald Vega

Stay in touch! Visit www.donaldvega.com now to join the mailing list and hear about life on the road, backstage stories, and upcoming new music. Donald Vega was trained classically in piano in his native Nicaragua. He emigrated to the United States at 14 and found a musical home with the Colburn School of Performing Arts (CSPA). Vega began learning the language of jazz from mentor Billy Higgins at The World Stage and continued at CSPA with Jeffrey Lavner, then later with bassist John Clayton at the University of Southern California. He went on to graduate from Manhattan School of Music and The Juilliard School where he studied with piano great Kenny Barron. Vega’s debut album, Tomorrows, was released in 2008 to rave reviews. In his sophomore album, Spiritual Nature (Resonance Records, 2012), he was joined by the regal rhythm tandem of bassist Christian McBride and drummer Lewis Nash. Vega teamed up again with Lewis Nash on his third album, With Respect to Monty, (Resonance Records, 2015) along with Hassan Shakur, the great bassist and former Monty Alexander band member, and long-time friend and Grammy-nominated artist, Anthony Wilson on guitar. Vega currently performs internationally as the pianist for world-renowned bassist Ron Carter and his Golden Striker Trio. Mr. Vega is also a professor at The Juilliard School and sits on the board of BackCountry Jazz, a non-profit organization that provides music education programs and performances to underprivileged youth.