About Joachim Horsley
Composer, multi-instrumentalist, and arranger Joachim Horsley is an exceptional American pianist who uses his favorite instrument to break musical barriers.
Coming from the film music world, Horsley created original scores for projects like HBO’s Gordita Chronicles, Batman: Soul of the Dragon and Disney’s Big City Greens, Horsley continues to score a story from his own imagination: a tale where the great composers of classical music infused their works with Afro-Caribbean rhythms.
“It’s an alternate universe: one where Beethoven, Chopin and Mozart are channeling Havana more than Vienna,” says Horsley. “To me, this is a way to meet old friends in a fresh context, giving our audiences a new take and a renewed appreciation for both the Classical world and the Caribbean Cultures.”
Horsley was inspired to start this project after studying music in Cuba in 2015. Rumba music in particular, both in its sound and the way it’s created, made a lasting impression and led to the first piece of this project “Beethoven In Havana,” an arrangement of Beethoven’s 7th symphony in a Cuban style. Horsley created this piece alone using the piano itself as a percussion ensemble, and the video immediately became a viral sensation. This led to two albums with classical-caribbean fusion pieces: VIA HAVANA (called “masterful” by the French publication Le Figaro) and CARIBBEAN NOCTURNES, featuring many guest Caribbean musicians. Horsley plays concerts throughout the world with both his band and as a soloist with orchestras.
Many composers, musicians, and fans in the classical and Afro-Caribbean worlds share a mutual interest in the opposite sides of this genre divide. It’s Joachim Horsley’s hope that his merging of these two worlds opens minds, expands audiences and encourages exploration.
