Xabier Díaz

His first contact with music happened when he was 10 years old when his grandfather gave him his first bagpipe as a gift in exchange for his attending school. Thanks to that family agreement, he developed his passion for traditional music and anthropology. For Xabier Díaz, being familiar with the music that came before us is crucial in order to build the musical genres of today, even the most modern ones.

His first album was Músicas de salitre (2004) along with guitar player Guillerme Fernández. This first work revealed him as a talented singer and composer. He was nominated to the Spanish Music Academy Awards in 2003 and he ranked third in the La Opinión music awards.

Xabier Díaz combines his work as musician and composer with thorough endeavours asresearcher and compiler of Galician traditional folklore. As a result of these efforts he released Coplas para Icía (2007) with Pedro Lamas and Suso Iglesias. This album brings together a cosmopolitan discourse attached to its roots.

At present he is involved in different projects. He has been the singer of the dance companyNova Galega de Danza in the shows Alento, Engado and Tradicción. With Alento they were nominated to the Premios Max as Best First Show in 2005. Since the beginning of 2008 he has been a member of Berrogüetto. He is director and co-presenter with Guillerme Fernández of radio programme "Tres Peixes Voando", on Radio Galega. Both musicians are currently working together in their next album, A lírica do silencio.

In his career he has been a featuring artist in many albums and concerts, with different artists and bands such as Luar na Lubre, Amancio Prada, Os Cempés, Marful, Nordestinas, Kepa Junquera or Uxía.

He took part in special events such as Descarga ao Vivo Cuba-Galiza (2009), an exchange of Galician and Cuban artists; Cantos na Maré (2005 y 2008) with artists of the Galician-Portuguese speaking world such as Chico César, Paulinho Moska, Sergio Godinho or Sara Tavares; or Ao Pé da Letra, a meeting point for several projects and Galician artists of different musical backgrounds and universes aiming at using words to place voice at the centre of their creations.

Since he worked as teacher and then director of the Traditional Dance and Music school of the municipality of Ames, he has not stopped teaching traditional percussion and singingin different schools and conservatories.