Fernández began playing the piano at age four and began lessons with his mother, Altagracia Tamayo, at age five. Tamayo was the director of the Obrón Academy in Mayarí.
He was later taught by Esteban Forés in Mayarí.
As an young man, Fernández moved to Havana, where he played in nightclubs and cabarets.
He was admitted to the Amadeo Roldán Conservatory, where he was taught by Margot Rojas.[3]
Critics have described Fernández as "a man touched by the divine," "one of the master interpreters of the most sublime moments of music in the world" or "someone without precedent, an unforgettable pianist,". Fernández has written more than 650 works in different formats, from ballets, choirs and symphonies to arrangements of popular music, as well as television and radio themes. He has worked with Silvio Rogíguez, Vicente Feliú, and Pancho Amat.
On August 18, 2015, at age 71, Fernandez made his U.S. performance debut at the Ravinia Festival, in Highland Park, Illinois.
^Cuba International: Issue 7; Issues 10-12, 1989: "MAYARI-HAVANA-MOSCOW A few months after the guerrilla fighters came down from the Sierra Maestra mountains, Frank Fernández arrived in Havana: 15 years old and thinking he knew all there was to know about piano....The latter's recommendation was: "Frank Fernández could be a great choral director. but a better pianist. "
^High fidelity Musical America: Volume 31, Issue 2, 1981: "Cuba's renowned pianist and composer, Frank Fernandez, was soloist in the Rachmaninoff Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Fernández realized all the Romantic elements of this work with a toss-off ease and even traces of humor."
