Otoniel Cruz, known as Otto Cruz (also written Oto Cruz), is a Dominican pianist, arranger, and composer from Santo Domingo who works across merengue, salsa, tropical music, and contemporary Christian music. He became widely known for piano videos of merengue and swing that circulated on social media, and in 2026 he played piano on two projects nominated for the Latin Grammy.

Piano and arranging

Cruz is a pianist in the new generation of Dominican keyboardists and took part with Emil Pimentel in a Junior Cabrera «10 Preguntas» episode about the state of Dominican piano, live sequencing, and the working conditions of musicians. In studio and live settings he has played piano for the salsa singer Félix Manuel, arranged Christian releases, including on the Aires de Unción project, and worked with Marteen Franko and Nacho Estrella, for whom he arranged, played keys on, and produced a bachata version of «Tal Vez» in August 2026.

He also arranges for pop and tropical artists, among them David Velázquez, and played piano in the music team of the opening ceremony of the 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo, directed by Antonio González.

Latin Grammy nominations

In September 2026 Cruz announced that he played piano on two Latin Grammy-nominated projects: «Nada» on Techy Fatule's album «Chula», and «Temblor y Réplica» on Covi Quintana's album «Oye Eta Vaina». He thanked Antonio González and Ronny Cruz for inviting him to contribute his piano to both.

Faith and online presence

Cruz is openly Christian and dedicates much of his work to gospel and worship music. His YouTube channel, «150 Live Session», presents live sessions of Christian music, and his Instagram account carries the verse Proverbs 4:23 and a Dominican flag next to the word pianist.

Legacy

Cruz is one of the Dominican pianists who combine studio work on Latin Grammy-nominated recordings with an audience built through online videos of merengue and swing, and he moves between tropical and Christian repertoire.