Chilean-Australian percussionist, composer and producer Alex Pertout has received international recognition for his acclaimed album Viajes (Travels), winning the prestigious Premio Internacional at the 2026 Cuban Music Awards, CUBADISCO, which was held in La Habana on Saturday May 16.
The Premio Internacional is a special category within the Cuban Music Awards that honours non-Cuban artists whose work authentically reflects the musical values of their own culture or who excel in collaborative musical projects connected to Cuba. The award celebrates international artists building meaningful musical bridges across cultures and traditions.
Pertout, who was named Australian Musician’s Musician of the Month in March this year, described Viajes (Travels) as an intimate and cinematic musical logbook inspired by decades of travel, collaboration and cultural exploration. The six-track album journeys from the Andes Mountains to Cuba, India and beyond, blending Chilean folk traditions, Afro-Cuban chants, jazz improvisation and atmospheric contemporary composition into what Pertout sees as a form of universal, borderless music.
Travel and cultural exchange sit at the heart of the project. Having left Chile as a child before living in Italy and eventually settling in Australia, Pertout’s life experience has shaped a deeply global musical perspective. During his Australian Musician interview earlier this year, he reflected on how travel continually opens new creative pathways, influencing both his rhythmic vocabulary and compositional approach.
Recorded across Melbourne, Havana, Santiago, Buenos Aires, Chennai, West Cork, Launceston and New York, Viajes (Travels) features an impressive international cast of musicians including Mike Stern, Sandy Evans, Luke Howard, Charulatha Mani, Miroslav Bukovsky and many more.
Across its six expansive compositions, Pertout balances intricate percussion, melodic storytelling and emotional depth. Tracks such as La Cordillera / El Palomo reinterpret traditional Chilean folk music through a contemporary lens, while L’Oyá / Longo Ito draws on sacred Afro-Cuban Lucumí chants, expanding them into rich modern arrangements.
After decades contributing to recordings by major Australian artists including Daryl Braithwaite, Powderfinger and Hunters & Collectors, Pertout has increasingly focused on developing his own catalogue and connecting with audiences internationally, particularly throughout Latin America and Cuba.
The CUBADISCO honour marks another significant milestone in that journey.
For more information on Alex Pertout and Viajes (Travels) visit Alex Pertout Official Website and Alex Pertout Bandcamp
Watch the Australian Musician ‘Musician of the Month ‘ interview HERE