Paquito D’Rivera has won a combined 11 GRAMMY® and Latin GRAMMY® Awards. He is celebrated both for his artistry in Latin jazz and his achievements as a classical composer. He is the recipient of the NEA Jazz Masters Award 2005 and the National Medal of the Arts 2005, as well as the Living Jazz Legend Award from the Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C. in 2007.
Born in Havana, Cuba, he performed at age 10 with the National Theater Orchestra, studied at the Havana Conservatory of Music, and at 17, became a featured soloist with the Cuban National Symphony. As a founding member of the Orquesta Cubana de Musica Moderna, he directed that group for two years, while at the same time playing both the clarinet and saxophone with the Cuban National Symphony Orchestra.
His numerous recordings include more than 30 solo albums and has rapidly gained a reputation as an accomplished composer.