Víctor Campbell is an extraordinary Cuban pianist whose talent is resonating strongly in the New Orleans music scene. With a deeply positive energy, Víctor reminded us during his interview on VIVA Música of the true essence of his art: “God gives us talent to share experiences… history and dreams that become reality.”
Víctor’s story began in Esmeralda, a small rural town in Camagüey, Cuba. He grew up in a humble but immensely culturally rich home, where his mother instilled in him a love for art, surrounded by literary gatherings, zarzuelas, and visits from prominent ballet pianists. His mother was his first teacher after seeing him replicate a church hymn on the piano and recognizing his natural talent. Víctor’s childhood was marked by a fascinating cultural duality: by day he attended church, and by night he listened to the Bembé beats of the neighboring Haitian community, in addition to the guajira music of the countryside. This amalgam of sounds molded his versatility before starting his rigorous classical training at age seven, studying Beethoven and Chopin.
At age 17, his destiny changed radically. Following the visit of Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center to Havana, Víctor was invited to the Louis Armstrong Summer Jazz Camp in New Orleans. That trip was eye-opening: “It was a unique shock that changed my life… it changed my entire perspective.” Deciding to write “new blank pages,” he emigrated to immerse himself in the birthplace of jazz, where he came to share the stage with the legendary Ellis Marsalis at Snug Harbor.
His solid training in Cuba—under the strict influence of Russian pedagogy—allowed him to work with legends of the stature of Omara Portuondo (for whom he was musical director), Issac Delgado, Alain Pérez, Alexander Abreu, and producer Juan Manuel Ceruto. This immediacy and professional rigor opened the doors of Hollywood to him. Recently, composer Ludwig Göransson contacted him via Instagram to participate in the movie Sinners, directed by Ryan Coogler. Víctor was not only on set but also recorded the Oscar- and Grammy-nominated track I Lied to You alongside composer Raphael Saadiq. This experience culminated in his attendance at the prestigious Oscar awards gala.
When asked about what his instrument represents, Víctor reflects poetically: “The piano… is an instrument with a lot of ego… it means colors, it means orchestra, it means freedom, it means at the same time rigor, love, doubt, and work.” For him, music is a universal bridge: “music has no borders, we are the same, but different. Each culture has something to say and something to learn.”
Currently, Víctor is preparing his next album and unpacking his bags from his recent performances at festivals in France, Spain, and New York. Additionally, along with his “brothers” Ovidio Girón and Jafet Pérez, they formed the group OVJ Collective, a dynamic musical project that fuses pop, rock, and funk in English with Caribbean rhythms of salsa, bachata, merengue, and reggaeton, a musical feat that captivates both Spanish and English-speaking audiences.
To learn more about this talented musician and find out where his next performance will be, follow his career through his Instagram @victorcampbell.art and don’t miss his magical live performances.
