“A Steinway is not just an instrument -- it is a living partner in our music-making. Its voice inspires us to take risks, to sing through the keys, and to dream without limit.”
The Alonso Brothers
The Alonso Brothers, Orlando and Orlay Alonso, are Cuban-born pianists whose artistry fuses rigorous classical training with the vibrant spirit of Cuban music. Raised at Havana’s National School of the Arts, both earned advanced degrees from the Manhattan School of Music and Yale University before embarking on distinguished careers as performers, educators, and cultural leaders.
The brothers have appeared together with orchestras including the Santa Clara Symphony, Havana Symphony, National Symphony of Brazil, Madrid Symphony, Kiev Symphony, Columbus Symphony and others across North America, South America, Europe, and China. They have been prizewinners of competitions such as the Amadeo Roldán (Havana), Sant’Agata li Battiati (Italy), and the Frinna Awerbuch (New York). Orlando is also one of the founders of New York’s renowned Le Poisson Rouge and the LPR Ensemble, conductor of the Ossia Symphony Orchestra, Artistic Director of the Odesa Festival Miami, and Artistic Chair of the World Technology Games, opening in India in 2025.
Orlay serves as Visiting Artist Lecturer at The Ohio State University and is the founder of the Music at St. Mary concert series, now recognized as one of Columbus, Ohio’s leading cultural platforms, presenting artists from ProArte, ProMusica, and the Columbus Symphony.
Together, The Alonso Brothers have collaborated with Joshua Bell for PBS’s Live from Lincoln Center “Seasons of Cuba” program alongside the Havana Lyceum Orchestra and Dave Matthews. Their album Havanesque — recorded on Steinway pianos by Grammy-winning producer Adam Abeshouse — celebrates Cuba’s golden-era dance music in dazzling two-piano arrangements. They have also commissioned a new concerto for two pianos and orchestra and are recipients of a Greater Columbus Arts Council grant; the work will receive its premiere with a leading American orchestra in the 2026–27 season.
The Alonso Brothers own three Steinway pianos and continue to champion music as a bridge between traditions, cultures, and audiences — offering performances that are virtuosic, deeply expressive, and joyfully alive.
The Alonso Brothers are a Steinway Ensemble.