Gelin H.

Gelina virtuoso violinist grew up in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. Since early age he was immersed in the music of The Beatles, Eric Clapton and Irakere by his parents, whom enrolled him in violin lessons at age 6. The study of the classical composers like Bach, Bethoven and Mozart allowed him to develop strong technique and musicality, and also a perfect pitch. He started to study music at age 7 for classical training, and gave his first concert like a soloist two years later. His curiosity pushed him to pursue and complete many other courses such as music history, analysis, counterpoint, and arrangement. At the age 15 he went to the Amadeo Roldan Music Conservatory in La Habana, during this time, he studied the works of Bud Powell, Stephane Grappelli, and Charlie Parker, and transcribed instrument solos by Lee Morgan, Didier Lockwood, Bill Evans, and Avishai Cohen. While attending school, he was called upon several times to play with his award-winning band, Jazztusabes, founded in 2011 with a fellow student from the conservatory. He also founded theProject in 2015, which covered famous cuban tunes and original compositions. At age 17, he started working at the Lizt Alfonzo Dance Cuba Company, which deepen his love for traditional cuban music, and allowed him to discover flamenco. In La Habana, he met many new musicians and took part in master classes with Chucho Valdez, Winton Marsalis, Mauricio Fux, and Gonzalo Rubalcaba, among others.