Alan Villanueva
Alan Villanueva is a Mexican saxophonist who blends spiritual jazz with Latin American traditions. Trained at Berklee College of Music and a Fulbright scholarship recipient, he has won several international competitions. He has performed on prestigious stages alongside renowned artists and shares his knowledge through masterclasses.
Alan Villanueva is an artist from Oaxaca, Mexico, whose work integrates spiritual jazz with diverse Latin American musical traditions, creating contemporary sonic landscapes through the saxophone, lyrics, and synthesizers.
He completed a Master’s degree in Global Jazz at Berklee College of Music under the guidance of Danilo Pérez, Joe Lovano, George Garzone, and John Patitucci, becoming the first Mexican musician admitted to this prestigious program. He was awarded the Fulbright scholarship, one of the most competitive international academic recognitions in the world.
He is the winner of the Latin American Jazz Saxophone Competition (2022), the Mexican National Jazz Saxophone Competition (2020), and the Pan American Jazz Saxophone Competition (2018). He has performed alongside artists such as Francisco Mela, George Garzone, and Natalia Lafourcade, participating in two of her Grammy Award-winning albums. As a performer, he has appeared at the Panama Jazz Festival and at Carnegie Hall in New York alongside Natalia Lafourcade, sharing the stage with Omara Portuondo, David Byrne, and Jorge Drexler.
He pursued undergraduate studies in Philosophy at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and in Jazz Studies at Universidad Veracruzana (JazzUV). He has given masterclasses across Latin America, including at the National Conservatory of Music of the Dominican Republic, the Lima Jazz Association, the Autonomous University of Nuevo León, and the University of Coahuila.
His mentors also include Miguel Zenón, Godwin Louis, Walter Smith III, Kris Davis, Dave Santoro, Javier Limón, and Francisco Mela.
