Omar Sosa & Yilian Cañizares: AGUAS Trio Featuring Gustavo Ovalles

Presented by Small World Music 

In partnership with and the

Pianist and violinist-vocalist have come together to create Aguas, a beautiful and very personal album. Aguas reflects the perspectives of two generations of Cuban artists living outside their homeland, interpreting their roots and traditions in subtle and unique ways. Songs range from the poignant to the exuberant, and are expressive of the exceptional musical chemistry, poetic sensibilities, and originality of the artists.

The material on Aguas is an inventive and engaging mix of the artists’ Afro-Cuban roots, Western classical music, and jazz. The album is dedicated to Water, and especially to Oshun, the Goddess of Love and Mistress of Rivers in the Lucumí tradition of Yoruba ancestry known in Cuba as Santería – a spiritual practice important to both artists. As water is synonymous with life, and energy, and strength, and space, the music of the album is inspired by the important influences of water – its hidden powers, its infinite transmutations, and its relentless creation. There is a sense of how water represents both separation from, and nostalgia for, the land of their birth.

About the Artists:

Cuban composer and pianist Omar Sosa is one of the most versatile jazz artists today. He fuses a wide range of jazz, world music, and electronic elements with his native Afro-Cuban roots to create a fresh and original urban sound – all with a Latin jazz heart. Omar Sosa’s musical trajectory has taken him from Camagüey and Havana to touring in Angola, the Congo, Ethiopia, and Nicaragua in the 1980s; to a sojourn in the African-descent communities of Ecuador in the early 1990s; to an extended presence on the San Francisco Bay Area Latin jazz scene; to his current engagement with artists from France, Cuba, Brazil, and several North, West, and East African nations.

Yilian Cañizares is one of the most interesting violinists, singers, and composers on the contemporary scene. Without ever betraying her roots, she blends jazz, classical, and Afro-Cuban rhythms in a style all her own, with a voice that seems to come from another world. Yilian Cañizares' love of music came very early: she began playing the violin and piano at the age of four, and at just fourteen, she was offered a scholarship to study in Caracas. Later, in 2000, she moved to Fribourg, Switzerland, to study at the conservatory. A few years and a move to Lausanne later, she collaborated with various ensembles and created a quartet of musicians called “Ochumare” with whom she won the Montreux Jazz Festival Competition in 2008.

The Venezuelan percussionist and teacher studied many techniques, styles of music and dances, before collaborating with international artists like David Murray, Gary, Omar Sosa, Julien Lourau, Minimo Garay, Orlando Poleo, Seckou Keita, Yilian Canizares and Juan Diego Flores.

His commitment on stage, his knowledge of traditional Venezuelan instruments, his sensitivity in interpretation and devotion to the compositions, as well as his unmistakable techniques and creativity make him an exceptional musician and artist.

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The 2026 Small World Music Series is sponsored by TD Bank Group through the TD Ready Commitment and funded by the Government of Canada, Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, and the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council.

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