Camila Cortina

Biography

Camila Cortina is a Cuban-born pianist, composer, and educator whose music reflects her roots, her travels, and the stories she carries. Raised in Havana, she reimagines the rich traditions of her homeland through jazz, classical, and world music. For Camila, fusion and crossover aren’t just artistic choices—they’re embedded in her very DNA. Her music is shaped by the memories of her homeland and the new realities she has encountered while living abroad.

Classically trained at Cuba’s top conservatories, she earned a degree in musicology from the Higher Institute of Arts. Her career has taken her from Cuba to Singapore—where she performed and composed for cross-cultural projects—and later to Boston, where she was awarded a full scholarship to Berklee College of Music. There, she completed dual degrees in Jazz Composition and Performance, followed by a Master’s in Global Contemporary Performance.

A 2023 Next Jazz Legacy Fellow, Camila has performed with Paquito D’Rivera, Miguel Zenón, Terri Lyne Carrington, and Dianne Reeves, with appearances at major festivals across the Americas. Her debut EP Sonera, released in 2023, is available on all streaming platforms, and her solo piano commission Bravura premiered at London’s Barbican Centre in 2024. She also appeared on NPR’s Tiny Desk with the Afro-Cuban band OKAN, and was a finalist for the Cintas Foundation Brandon Fradd Fellowship in Music Composition.

Now based in New Jersey, Camila is an active presence in the New York jazz scene, continuing to blend tradition and innovation in every note.