Jorge Amado

Jorge Amado is a Cuban violinist, violist, composer, and educator based in Chicago. He began studying music at the age of eight and wrote his first compositions at nine, developing an early passion for creativity and expression that continues to define his career. With over five years of experience teaching in Cuba and the United States, Amado offers private and group lessons in violin, viola, piano, and composition.

His approach combines strong classical technique with curiosity, discipline, and individuality, helping students build both technical mastery and confidence. He serves as both Teaching Artist and Assistant to the Artistic Director at the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic, where he contributes to artistic programming, music education, and community engagement initiatives, and maintains a private teaching studio in Chicago. As a composer, Amado’s music fuses Afro-Cuban traditions with contemporary classical language.

His works have been performed by the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, Alexandria Symphony Orchestra, and the Chicago Civic Fellows at Chicago Symphony Center, among others. As a performer, he has collaborated with ensembles such as the Chicago Summer Opera, Chicago Jazz Philharmonic, Ensemble Dal Niente, and the Orchestra of Radio and Television of Cuba, among others.

His recent achievements include the 2nd Prize at the 2025 Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival Call for Scores, a Cubadisco Award for his monographic album Ofrenda, multiple first prizes at major Latin American composition competitions, a Jeff Award nomination for Measure for Measure at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater (2023) alongside Orbert Davis, and a Composer Fellowship at the Imani Winds Chamber Music Festival at Juilliard School (2025).