with Alexander Abreu and Issac Delgado

I graduated from the ENA and the ISA, and now I work as producer, musical director, composer, arranger, violinist and professor. I played with Orquesta Sinfónica de Camagüey as I finished my studies, as well as a professor of some musical subjects in ENIA (Escuela Nacional de Instructores de Arte).

My professional career started when I was still studying, as director of Treceto de la ENA, the band which was later called Opus 13, and became very famous in Cuba. I was its director and its main composer and arranger.

I have composed more than 200 works, in many Cuban genres, including classical music. I've worked as arranger of many important singers in Cuba, such as Beatriz Márquez, Argelia Fragoso, Omara Portuondo and Miriam Ramos (among others), and my work has also been featured in bands like Ritmo Oriental and Van Van.

I've won some prizes in international festivals and competitions, and I was also part of the jury in some of the contests involving the ex-socialistic European countries.

In the last couple of years I've arranged for some important Hispanic musicians, like José María Cano (formely of Mecano), Víctor Manuel, José Alberto "El Canario", Miles Peña, Cheo Feliciano, Tania Libertad, and Cesaria Evora from Africa. But I've also continued my teaching. I've taught young musicians from Cuba and the whole world (I also teach popular music to the visiting Americans at the ENA, as well as students from Copenhagen College).

I played with Issac Delgado's band, serving as his musical director, as well as with the Team Cuba project, where I was also musical director. But I have directed my career at musical productions for CDs; and my works, arrangements and co-productions are in almost every CD produced in Cuba.

I've also worked for shows and cabarets, directing some of the most succesful shows of the famous "Tropicana", especially in the last 2 decades.

Here are some of the more recent CD's that feature my work:

-"Echando candela" and "Sonando Cubano"; by Adalberto Alvarez
-"El año que viene", "Otra idea" and "Malecón"; by Issac Delgado
-"Soy salsero, soy cantante"; by Rojitas y su orquesta
-"Lo que tú esperabas"; by Anacaona
-"La rumba soy yo"; by Joaquín Betancourt y todos estrellas de la rumba
-"Algo en común"; by Amaury Pérez Vidal
-"Charanga All Star"; from Egrem
-"Una manera de decir"; by Fernando Alvarez
-"Obsesión"; by Miriam Ramos
-" El son de Adalberto suena cubano"; by Adalberto Alvarez
-In recording process is a CD with Juan Almeida's work.
-The most recent CD by Issac Delgado, still in mixing process, produced by myself, Issac and Ceruto; and featuring some New York musicians like Ralph Irrizarri, Rubén Rodríguez, Robert Quintero and Arturo Ortiz, and John Fausty as sound engineer.

Two of the CDs that I co-produced and arranged were nominated for Latin Grammys: "Malecón" ("La fórmula") by Issac Delgado, and "La rumba soy yo", which received the Grammy for Mejor Album Folklórico (Best Folk Album).