BIOGRAPHY
PERFORMED, COLLABORATED AND RECORDED WITH:
Yo-Yo Ma, John Patitucci, Christian Mc Bride, Eddie Gomez ,Bette Midler, Deepak Chopra, Robert Duvall, Paquito D’Rivera, Neil Sedaca, Mark Egan, CharlElie Couture, Jane Ira Bloom, Manolo Badrena, John Benitez, Federico Britos, Miguel Zenon, Avishai Cohen, Charlie Persip, Pedro Giraudo, Nestor Torres, Ray Vega and Hector del Curto among many others.
AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
- 2025 ARTISTIC EXCELLENCE AWARD - Connecticut Office of the Arts
- 2025 ISC INTERNATIONAL SONGWRITING COMPETITION - Winner
- 2025 ARTISTIC DIRECTOR – José Ignacio International Jazz Festival (Uruguay)
- 2025 JUROR – Uruguay National Awards (Music)
- 2025 JUROR – Rhode Island State Council on the Arts – Make Art Grant Program
- 2024 CULTURAL AMBASSADOR DESIGNATION – Ministry of Culture, Uruguay
- 2024 JUROR – Uruguay National Awards in Music (Classical Composition Division)
- 2024 ARTIST RESPOND AWARDEE – Connecticut Office of the Arts
- 2024 PAUL HARRIS FELLOW – Rotary International
- 2023 GRAMMY AWARD WINNER – Best Latin Jazz Album (Producer)
- 2022 MAJESTIC EXCELLENCE AWARD – Excellence Piano Awards International Competition (Europe)
- 2021 ILLUSTRIOUS CITIZEN – City of Montevideo, Uruguay
- 2021 HORACIO FERRER AWARD – First recipient, presented by Uruguay’s Vice President
- 2021 NEW WORKS GRANT – Queens Council of the Arts (NYC)
- 2020 GRAMMY AWARD WINNER – Latin Grammy for “Best Tango Album” (Quartet)
- 2019 GRAMMY AWARD WINNER – Latin Grammy for “Best Instrumental Album” (Piano Solo)
- 2019 NEW WORKS GRANT – Queens Council of the Arts (NYC)
- 2019 AMERICAN PRIZE IN COMPOSITION – 3rd Place Winner
- 2018 AMERICAN PRIZE IN COMPOSITION – Finalist
- 2018 ROTARY CLUB URUGUAY – Distinction Medal Honoree
- 2017 NEW WORKS GRANT AWARDEE – Queens Council of the Arts (NYC)
- 2017 GRAMMY NOMINEE – Latin Grammy for “Best Instrumental Album”
- 2016 GRAMMY NOMINEE – Latin Grammy for “Best Contemporary Classical Composition”
- 2015 ACE AWARDEE – “Best Show of the Year” (Tango Lovers Show / Musical Director)
- 2014 STEINWAY ARTIST – Designated by Steinway & Sons
- 2014 GRAMMY NOMINEE – Latin Grammy for “Best Contemporary Classical Composition”
- 2013 NEW MUSIC USA – Awardee
- 2013 CON EDISON COMPOSERS RESIDENCE AWARDEE
- 2012 GRAMMY NOMINEE – Latin Grammy for “Best Contemporary Classical Composition”
- 2012 THE GREATEST URUGUAYAN MUSICIANS AWARD – Teatro Solis
- 2007 DECLARED “OF NATIONAL AND CULTURAL INTEREST” – Uruguayan Government
- 2006 NEW YORK FILM AND VIDEO FESTIVAL – Composer for award-winning feature film: 'La Cascara'
- 2001 INDEPENDENT MUSIC AWARDS – Semifinalist with Manolo Badrena, John Benitez
- 1999 EUROPE JAZZ INTERNATIONAL CONTEST WINNER – Belgian Artistic Promotion Award
- 1997 PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SCHOLARSHIP – Berklee College of Music
- 1997 PROFESSIONAL MUSIC ACHIEVEMENT AWARD – Berklee College of Music
- 1996 BEST COMPOSER FROM BERKLEE COLLEGE – Among the top 10 composers in 30 years
- 1994 ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES FELLOW – Two-year full scholarship at Berklee
(Organization of American States)
" . . . exuberant , virtuosic performance. . .
"THE NEW YORK TIMES
" . . . ferocious performance, emotionally wrenching
playing. . . "
LOS ANGELES TIMES
" . . . enough can' t be said, sensational musician. . .
"CHICAGO TRIBUNE
" . . . Gustavo Casenave led the virtuosic ensemble, … show stopper. . .
"THE WASHINGTON POST
PERFORMANCES AT VENUES OF DISTINGUISHED REPUTATION
The Blue Note (NYC)
Walt Disney Concert Hall (Los Angeles, USA)
Carnegie Hall (USA),
Teatro Solis (URUGUAY)
Taiwan National Theater (TAIWAN)
The A Train – Jazz Club (Berlin/GERMANY),
Porgy & Bess Jazz Club (Vienna/AUSTRIA)
Chung Mu Art Hall (KOREA)
Sony Studio (JAPAN)
Blues Alley Jazz (Washington DC)
Centro de Bellas Artes de Caguas (PUERTO RICO)
Europe Jazz Contest (BELGIUM)
Kodak Theatre (Los Angeles- USA),
Casino Lisboa Theatre (PORTUGAL)
Harris Theatre (CHICAGO)
The Jazz Standard (New York)
Lincoln Center (New York USA)
Palacio da Ajuda (PORTUGAL)
Marin Center (USA)
Alfred Lerner Hall, Columbia University (USA)
Jazz Tour Festival (URUGUAY)
Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts (USA)
Hypo Jazz Festival (AUSTRIA),
Bosendorfer New York (USA)
Jazz Festival Seeon (GERMANY)
Blumenthal Performing Arts Center (USA)
JVC Jazz Festival (New York)
Metropolitan Museum (New York USA)
Graz Jazz Festival (AUSTRIA),
Symphony Space (New York ,USA)
Blue Llama Jazz Club (MICHIGAN)
JazzKeller (Frankfurt -GERMANY),
Vilar Performing arts Center (USA)
Sala Verdi (URUGUAY),
Cami Hall (New York City)
Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC - USA)
Benaroya Hall (Seattle WA USA),
Cooper Union - Great Hall (NYC - USA),
The Jazz Cable Channel (NewYork - USA),
Keep Walking Jazz Tour Festival (URUGUAY),
Town Hall (New York, USA)
Manhattan Neighborhood Network (NewYorkTV Channel),
Kravis Center for the Performing Arts (USA)
ORF (National TV/ AUSTRIA),
Jackie Gleason Theatre (Miami, USA)
One World Theater (USA)
BPC Hall (Boston USA),
International Jazz Festival at Kempten, (GERMANY) ,
NY City Center (NYC - USA)
International Contest for Contemporary Chamber Music at Düsseldorf (GERMANY)
Sala Zitarrosa (URUGUAY),
Manship Theater (USA)
Walton Arts Center (USA)
Livermore Valley Performing arts Center (USA)
North Carolina Performing arts Center (USA
Three-Time Grammy® Winner Gustavo Casenave is a Steinway Artist, pianist, composer, and producer whose career spans continents, genres, and decades of international recognition. He won the 2023 Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album as producer, two Latin Grammy® wins as bandleader: Best Instrumental Album (Piano Solo) in 2019 and Best Tango Album in 2020, and five other Latin Grammy nominations in Best Contemporary Classical Composition and Best Instrumental Album.
Designated Cultural Ambassador by Uruguay’s Ministry of Culture in 2024, Casenave is also the 2025 recipient of the Artistic Excellence Award from the Connecticut Office of the Arts. He serves as Artistic Director of the José Ignacio International Jazz Festival and was twice appointed juror for Uruguay’s National Music Awards.
His many honors include the 2022 Majestic Excellence Award (Europe), the Horacio Ferrer Award (presented by Uruguay’s Vice President), the Illustrious Citizen title from Montevideo, the Paul Harris Fellow recognition from Rotary International, and multiple New Works Grants from the Queens Council on the Arts. He has also received awards from New Music USA, The American Prize in Composition, and the Organization of American States.
Casenave has performed at major venues worldwide, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Walt Disney Concert Hall, and festivals across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. He has collaborated with Yo-Yo Ma, John Patitucci, Eddie Gomez, Christian McBride, Paquito D’Rivera, Bette Midler, and others, and performed with tango companies including Tango Fire and Forever Tango.
With a discography of over 40 albums as a leader, co-leader, or producer, Casenave blends classical precision, jazz improvisation, and deep tango roots into a singular voice.
A respected educator, he has taught at Juilliard, Yale, NYU, Eastman, and Oberlin. Praised by The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post, he continues to redefine contemporary piano performance on the world stage.
SELECTED PERFORMANCES AND COLLABORATIONS
Yo-Yo Ma, John Patitucci, Eddie Gomez, Christian McBride, The 12 Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic, Bette Midler, Deepak Chopra, Mark Egan, Tania Leon, Robert Duvall, Paquito D’Rivera, Neil Sedaka, CharlElie Couture, Jane Ira Bloom, Manolo Badrena, Miguel Zenon, Avishai Cohen, Charlie Persip, Pablo Ziegler, Tango Fire, Forever Tango, Tango Lovers, Pedro Giraudo, Kabir Seghal ande Hector del Curto, among others.