Meet Donald Vega

 

We were lucky to catch up with Grammy nominated artist Donald Vega recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Donald, thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.

I guess it comes from three places: my heritage, my mom, and my own experiences.

I am from Nicaragua, which is known as the poorest country in Central America. Yet, the people are known for their happiness and joy. It’s a place where life, family, and love are celebrated and where we find joy in the midst of life’s challenges.

Likewise, my mom instilled this joy and optimism in me from my earliest memories of her. I was born with a cleft palate and while surgeries were done when I was first born, I still looked and sounded different than most other kids. Yet, in my own home, you would never know I was different. My mom gave me that kind of unconditional love and compassion that every kid needs.

And then I went through what a lot of people would describe as traumatic moments: the death of my grandmother, the drowning of my cousin, my mom leaving me to go to the US – these all happened when I was around 10 years old. I came to the US when I was 14 and lived in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Los Angeles and didn’t speak any English. At one point, there was a fire in the apartment building we were living in and we lost everything in the fire. Everyone was okay, thankfully, but I lost my piano. For a time, I had nothing to practice on, so I drew a piano out on paper and practiced on it, hearing the music only in my mind.

I think my optimism comes out of those experiences. Through it all, I had my family. And I had music. When we moved to the U.S. my mom found The Colburn School of Performing Arts in Los Angeles, and they gave me a scholarship to study with them and adopted me into their musical family. I come from a musical family and had started playing drums first, and then piano around the age of 5 or 6. I attended the conservatory in Managua, Nicaragua, the capital, and studied classical music. My grandfather and uncle were both well respected musicians in Nicaragua and they also gave me my musical training. So despite what was going on around me, I had the beauty of music and the joy of family. This other “world” of music helped me create a different reality – one based in creativity and artistry.

So my optimism comes from these experiences. Going through hard times allowed me the ability to appreciate the peaceful, joyful times so much more. And it also gave me the knowledge that these times of joy will always come. So even if I’m going through something challenging, I always look ahead knowing with full confidence that good will come.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I am a classically trained jazz musician originally from Nicaragua. I have had the good fortune to study under amazing musicians from Billy Higgins at World Stage to John Clayton at University of Southern California and Kenny Barron at both Manhattah School of Music and The Juilliard School. I am now a professor at The Juilliard School teaching the next generation of jazz musicians and was named a Guggenheim Fellow in 2023 for my jazz compositions. I currently perform internationally as the pianist for world-renowned bassist Ron Carter as a member of his Golden Striker and New Jazz Trio.

But what I am most excited about are my recent and upcoming albums. I recorded quite a bit when I was younger, but stopped for a time when my own kids were young. Now that they’re older, I have more time to focus on writing and recording again. Last year I released a musical biography, As I Travel. The record documents my journey from Nicaragua to present and is the first time I’ve shared my story in musical form with my fans.

I am going into the studio this Spring for my next record Legacy. The album will be a celebration and homage to the legacies and invaluable mentorship of those who have shaped my musical journey: my Uncle and Grandfather – my first teachers and esteemed musicians in Nicaragua who began my musical training; Francisco Aguabella (conguero), Al McKibbon (bassist), and Billy Higgins (drummer) – each of whom took me under their wing, and spent time training, mentoring and befriending me when I first arrived in Los Angeles many years ago. This project will pay homage to these great masters with original compositions dedicated to their memory.

And somewhere in between all that, I paired up again with multi-Grammy® winning producer/engineer Jim Anderson to create a holiday album, All Is Merry and Bright.

The holiday season, for me, is one of the happiest times of the year. Every family has their unique traditions, whether it be holiday dinners, gathering around the Christmas tree, lighting the menorah, or moments of reflection. For me, it’s a time of fellowship and laughter, where we can both reminisce and create new memories with friends and loved ones.
I feel like this record really encapsulates the warmth and joy of the season. My hope is it will become part of each family’s holiday tradition and the musical backdrop to festive celebrations for years to come.

All is Merry and Bright is available now on all streaming platforms. You can learn more about me at www.donaldvega.com.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Three things: Faith, Wisdom, and Patience. I wouldn’t be where I am without these three things.

FAITH – It’s hard to describe to people how to have faith. For me, I believe in God, and my faith comes from knowing and believing that he has a plan for my life and that it’s good. I hold onto that every day through meditation and prayer. Because things don’t always work out the way you want them to, or think they should. I need that faith that everything is going to be alright and that allows me to let go of expectations and enjoy the journey because I know something great will come out in the end.

WISDOM -Someone once described this to me as putting knowledge into action. Take everything you’ve learned and apply it. One of my favorite things to do is talk with older people – and I mean eighties and nineties. I want to hear all their advice, what they’ve learned over the years, and what’s really important at the end of the day. If I can take that knowledge and apply it now, man – what a gift that would be. Two of the biggest pieces of advice I put into action was to not do drugs – which might sound silly, but you have to remember I am a musician. Sometimes drugs are prevalent in my world and there are some very well known jazz musicians who famously died due to overdoses. But all my elders told me to stay away, and I always have. I think that alone has saved me from so many missteps. The second piece of advice I got very young was to be kind to people. I think that stems from people being kind (and sometimes not so kind) to me as I grew up with a cleft palate, and then grew up an undocumented immigrant in Los Angeles in a time where there was a lot of political conversations around that issue. In the end, being nice is always the way to go. Why create more negativity in the world? I try, instead, to practice compassion, and humility and love with everyone I meet. I think the world is a better place because of it. I know, at least, my soul is better for it.

PATIENCE: For me, that means to listen, to learn, and to grow. That also means being okay with making mistakes, making sure I learn from them, and then to be reflective and grow some more. For me, patience is a must, because I already want to be “there”. I already want to be done with my next project, I already want that respect for my artistic work, I already want to be the best I can be – but it’s a process. It takes time. And the truth is, you never get “there”; because once you’re “there”, you want the next thing, and the next thing, and the next. And so the patience I need is slowing down to enjoy the journey: to enjoy where I am right now, to find joy in those everyday moments, and to let go of everything else while still moving forward.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?

I take a pause and I pray. I breathe. Meditating is hard for me because I have adhd. But I try to take quiet moments so i can see the whole picture and get perspective. I pray a lot because my faith helps me get that perspective and let go of expectations. A lot of times i get overwhelmed because I’m not where I want to be or I’ve over committed myself and I’m feeling the stress of doing too much at once; Another thing I do is set boundaries. I had to learn that it’s okay to say no, or “not right now”. It’s okay to readjust timelines and it’s also okay if things don’t happen the way I want, in the timeframe I want. And it all comes back to patience and faith, and the wisdom that comes from putting that all into practice.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

John J. Kim
Winnie Au
Shervin Lainez

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