Gonzalo Grau y la Clave Secreta

Gonzalo Grau was born in Caracas, Venezuela, the son of Alberto Grau and Isabel Palacios.^[1] He studied at the Berklee College of Music in Boston.^[2] He produced Osvaldo Golijov's La Pasión según San Marcos which won its nominated category at Germany's Echo Klassik Awards in 2010,^[3] and arranged several tracks on tenor Rolando Villazón's ¡México! which won an Echo Klassik award the following year.^[4] In 2011 Grau won the Young Euro Classic Composer Award, given in recognition of the best world premiere or German premiere at the festival, for his work Aqua.^[5][6]

Grau formed La Clave Secreta in Boston with musicians of various nationalities.^[1][2] The group have been described as mixing "Afro-Cuban styles like salsa and timba with subtle hints of funk and R&B".^[7] The band's album Frutero Moderno was nominated for Best Tropical Latin Album at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards in 2009.^[7][8] In addition to La Clave Secreta, Grau also fronts another band, Plural, which is based in Caracas.^[1]