THE ALTINO BROTHERS
Nerva and Robenson Altino have an incredible talent, dazzling technique, a unique sound, and a compelling life story. Their performances will move you and their story will inspire you.

Coming from poverty-stricken Haiti to Jamaica, Queens, NY is not the typical route most piano virtuosos follow, but it is that humble beginning that fueled the Altino Brothers to develop their musical talents to world class levels. Their father, Jean, seeking a better life for his family, left Haiti by boat and eventually made his way to the United States and settled in Jamaica, Queens. Through hard work and determination, he brought his wife Ruth and their two sons, Nerva and Robenson, to the states. Jean, an amateur pianist, bought a piano and began teaching his sons and sharing his love of music. He played Mozart every morning and exposed his two sons to the great masters of classical music. Growing up in Queens further exposed them to a wide variety of musical genres including: jazz, gospel, and R&B. At church, they were inspired by hymns and spirituals. The Altino Brothers concluded their formal training at The Manhattan School of Music in New York City where they both earned their Masters Degree in piano performance. With their discipline and dedication beginning at a young age and their diverse musical influences, the Altino Brothers have developed an innovative style and a virtuosic technique at the piano.

Their dynamic concerts have earned them rave reviews for their interpretations of the classical masters such as Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, and Rachmaninoff and for their own creative and innovative renditions of well-known traditional favorites. Their multi-genre repertoire combines jazz idioms, classical motifs, with gospel and Caribbean rhythms which make their performance memorable, inspirational, and very entertaining. They electrify audiences and frequently bring them to their feet

The Altino Brothers have appeared on TV on NBC's Today Show, Positively Black and have performed in concert halls and churches throughout the US including Lincoln Center, Yale University's Woolsey Hall, Mechanics Hall, The Library of Congress, and many others. Nerva is also a gifted composer and arranger. In 2008, he wrote an original cantata "The Second Coming of Christ" which debuted to a capacity crowd at The Riverside Church in NYC and received enthusiastic reviews. They also formed the Altino Brothers Concert Chorale, a 100-voice choir, which performs with them at the larger venues and often renders the original arrangements written by Nerva.