GRAMMY winner and 2011 MacArthur “Genius” Fellow, Cuban-born Dafnis Prieto’s revolutionary drumming techniques and compositions have established him as one of the most important artists of his generation.

Since arriving in New York in 1999, a moment compared to an asteroid hitting the city, Prieto has worked with premier artists in both Jazz and Afro Latin music, including Michel Camilo, Chucho Valdés, Bebo Valdés, Henry Threadgill, Steve Coleman, Eddie Palmieri, Chico O’Farrill, Arturo O'Farrill, Roy Hargrove, Don Byron, and Andrew Hill, among others.

As a bandleader, Prieto has had extraordinary artistic success. Most notably he earned a GRAMMY Award for his stunning 2018 big band recording, Back to the Sunset. Prieto has released nine albums as a leader, including his acclaimed 2022 record, Cantar, featuring GRAMMY-winning Brazilian vocalist Luciana Souza.

As a composer, Prieto has created music for dance, film, chamber ensembles, and his own bands ranging from duo to big band. In 2022 Prieto premiered a major new work for Latin band and string orchestra — Tentación — performed by People of Earth with the Louisville Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the New World Symphony, and the Britt Festival Orchestra.

Also a gifted educator, Prieto is Associate Professor of Professional Practice at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, where he directs the esteemed Frost Latin Jazz Orchestra.