David Virelles (born 1983) is a Cuban jazz pianist and composer.

Virelles was born in Cuba in 1983^[1] and grew up in Santiago.^[2] His father is José Aquiles, a singer-songwriter;^[2] his mother was a Santiago de Cuba Symphony flautist.^[1] Virelles started classical piano studies at the age of seven and heard various forms of Cuban music during his childhood.^[1] He met Canadian musician Jane Bunnett in Cuba and she invited him to Toronto.^[2] He eventually studied at the University of Toronto and Humber College.^[3] Virelles also recorded and toured with Bunnett,^[1] including for her 2001 album Alma de Santiago.^[4] He started communicating via e-mail and telephone with Steve Coleman around 2006; the saxophonist gave him detailed responses to questions on music.^[2]

A Canada Council for the Arts grant allowed Virelles to study with Henry Threadgill in New York.^[2] Virelles moved to New York permanently in 2009^[1] and soon played with major jazz figures, including saxophonists Coleman, Chris Potter and Mark Turner.^[2]

Virelles was part of a trio in 2010, with bassist Ben Street and drummer Andrew Cyrille, that played largely improvised music.^[5] The pianist later added percussionist Román Díaz to this group.^[5] In 2011, Virelles played prepared piano, celeste and harmonium on Potter's album The Sirens.^[6] Virelles made his ECM Records leader debut with the 2014 release Mbókò.^[7] The Guardian reviewer reported that "Virelles explores ancient Afro-Cuban sacred and ritual musics through imaginative fusions with contemporary materials. Mostly he does this by using the two basses as drones, mixing spacious chord-moods with bursts of startling improvisation in a flux of styles, and focusing much of the melody-playing on [the two] drummers."^[7]