Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina and based in New York City, Emiliano Messiez , a Latin Grammy Nominee composer, pianist and music director, is one of the most in-demand tango pianists in the US. With a versatile and unique style, he is equally adept in classical music, jazz, tango, rock and Latin American Rhythms. He has performed worldwide including such venues in the United States as Lincoln Center, Merkin Hall, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and The Houston Opera Theater, among others.
Most recently, (October 2021), Messiez released a new CD as the pianist for Underground Tango Ensemble, a quartet based in New York City. The CD, "El Charrúa," is a Tango tribute to the music of Latin Grammy winner, legendary composer and master bandoneonist Raúl Jaurena, his close, personal friend. All the music on the album was composed by Jaurena and arranged by Underground Tango Ensemble. It was launched at Merkin Hall in New York City and at the Philadelphia Argentine Tango School.
Messiez is the pianist for the Broadway and West End hit show “Forever Tango”, a show that has been seen by more than eight million people worldwide. He has also served as the music director and pianist for the successful shows "Impact" and "Tango Buenos Aires", created by Mario & Daniel Celario, and is the creator of "Barolo Tango," a live tango show based in Argentina.
A prolific composer of original music, Messiez has created the music for the musicals “The Guava Tree,” that was commissioned by Creede Repertory Theater in Colorado and “Bordello,” which is still in development but has already received recognition from the National Alliance of Musical Theater with the 2020 Writers in Residence Award, the 2021 Eugene O’Neil Theater Center Festival and The Broadway Bound Theater Festival. He is currently composing the music for "Casa Alfonsa" the second musical commissioned by Creede Repertory Theater in Colorado. Emiliano is the orchestrator of the musical "Ghost in the Machine" by Janine Robledo.
A highly respected musician, Messiez has created several different projects since coming to the United States. They include the "Típica Messiez" (a 10-piece Tango Orchestra), the "Romo-Agri-Messiez Trio" (Latin Grammy Nominated), a Tango trio formed by Horacio Romo on bandoneon, Pablo Agri on violin and Messiez on piano, "Cello & Piano" a duet of original music with cellist Amy Kang, the "Tango Duet" with Bass-Baritone Federico De Michelis, and the "Tango Dueling Pianos" a unique and never-seen-before concept featuring two tango pianists, a show that he shares with pianist Pablo Estigarribia.
Messiez has performed with some of the world’s top musicians such as 14-time Latin Grammy winner Paquito de Rivera, Diego El Cigala, Dino Saluzzi, Concha Buika, Raul Jaurena, Fernando Otero, Diego Urcola and Pedro Giraudo, among others. With Jose Luis Infantino, he recorded an album titled "Silencio" in 2004 which received a UNESCO Prize for music, given to musicians whose work has contributed to the enrichment and development of Latin-American Music.
His natural musical talent was apparent at a very early age. Messiez began playing the piano by ear at the age of 3. From there, he dedicated his life to the piano, studied and graduated from the National University of the Arts (UNA - Universidad Nacional de las Artes) in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He later joined the faculty there, teaching courses in Counterpoint, Harmony and Music History in the Department of Composition. He also attended and graduated from Berklee College of Music’s Escuela de Music Contemporánea (EMC) in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was honored to receive two different scholarships to study with the distinguished Spanish composer Antón García Abril at the University of Santiago de Compostela.
