Haitian-born Nerva Altino cites his father as his first musical inspiration. Indeed, it was Jean Altino, an amateur pianist himself, who was Nerva’s first teacher and encouraged his 10 year old son to pursue his passion for a career in music.

After studying as a teen with George Davis, Nerva went on to Atlantic Union College. It was there, while studying with both Kaestner Robertson and Roy Imperio that Nerva’s prodigious talent, superb technique and steely determination began to be widely recognized. He won first prize in several prestigious competitions, including the Debose National Piano Competition in 1993 and 1995; the Thayer Young Artist Competition in 1996 and 1997; and the Luis Ferre International Competition in 1998. Nerva was honored with a Proclamation Award for Achievements in the Performing Arts, from the City of New York in 2004. Most recently, he was honored with a citation award by the city of Boston in December 2005.

Nerva graduated from AUC with a baccalaureate in Piano Performance, to which he added a Masters degree in piano performance from the Manhattan School of Music. He has performed in major concert halls throughout the United Stated and been featured on both radio and TV (The Today Show on NBC). He made his Lincoln Center debut at Alice Tully in 2001, performing Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1. He references the music of Franz Listz as his greatest musical influence, citing the Mephisto Waltz as his signature piece.

Nerva’s love of music embraces many genres. His performing career has encompassed not just classical but jazz and liturgical music. He is also a much sought after arranger of crossover and church music. With brother, Robenson, he formed the Altino Brothers Concert Chorale, a 100 singer strong choir. As he puts it himself, “It must be said how much other genres influence my arrangements – Pop, R&B, Reggae, Anthems – everything I heard growing up.”

Nerva Altino can be heard alongside brother Robenson on their CD, entitled No Boundaries, released in April, 2005.