Daniel Hernandez

Swiss Pianist & composer

For more than two decades, Daniel Hernandez has made the piano an extension of himself. As a performer, composer, intuitive solo player and band leader, he pays tribute to the black american music traditions while modernizing their concepts. 

Born in 1995, he began studying classical piano at the age of 7 at the Fribourg Conservatory (CH). In 2012, he turned to jazz and studied with Stefan Aeby. After completing his studies, which culminated in the Del Soto Prize in 2018, he continued to learn at the Bern University of the Arts, where he earned a Master’s degree in Jazz Performance under the guidance of Colin Vallon, Django Bates, and Ralph Alessi. He is also the winner of the 2021 Friedlwald Foundation Prize.

Based in Fribourg (CH), Daniel is involved in numerous projects spanning a variety of genres (jazz, afrobeat, contemporary music), which regularly take him to perform on stages across Europe. In 2023, he was selected for the Swiss Diagonales Jazz program with his trio OKWOK, whose first album was released in 2022. 

This project has led him to perform at several iconic jazz venues in Switzerland, such as Moods, Cully Jazz Festival, JazzOnze+ Festival, and Bird’s Eye, as well as opening for renowned artists like Kamasi Washington and Meshell Ndegeocello. 

He also composed for various projects such as Woodi, Layena or Fusoosh, with whom he went on tour in Cabo Verde in 2026. 

In 2025, he launched his first solo piano project, which is scheduled for release in the summer of 2026.

 

Photography © Pernette Emery