Orchestra conductors play an extremely important role in Cuban music, selecting the music to be performed and creating the musical numbers, which in most cases are their own compositions. Most of them are prominent instrumentalists, such as José Luís Cortés; Enrique Jesús Álvarez Navarro; Andy Gola; Manolito Simonet; Lazarito Valdés; Orlando Valle; Juan Carlos Alfonso; Giraldo Piloto Baretto; Norberto Puente Quintana; Pedro Pablo Pérez Vargas; and Oderquis Revé. Others are the lead vocalists of their groups, such as Ricardo Leyva; Cándido Fabré; Pablo Fernández Gallo; and Moisés Valle.

José Luís Cortés, or El Tosco, as he is popularly known, is a composer, arranger, and an excellent flautist. He was a member of Los Van Van and Irakere, two legendary Cuban groups. He founded his orchestra, NG La Banda, in 1988, with which he launched the Timba phenomenon and was the first to introduce the keyboard to a dance music orchestra. He is currently considered one of the best flautists in Cuba and Latin America.

Enrique Jesús Álvarez Navarro, popularly known as Enrique Álvarez, is a distinguished Cuban violinist, violist, and orchestra conductor. In May 1992, he founded his own group, Charanga Latina, of which he serves as its director. It is made up of eight talented Cuban musicians and features the typical charanga format.

The Enrique Álvarez Orchestra’s repertoire includes diverse genres of popular dance music, such as bolero, cha-cha-chá, cumbia, merengue, son, and mambo; among them, salsa stands out. In 2000, he and his Charanga Latina won the Grand Prize and the Popularity Prize at the Adolfo Guzmán Competition.

Andy Gola, Cuban composer, guitarist, conductor, producer, and director of artistic performances, was born on April 9, 1954, in the eastern province of Santiago de Cuba. Throughout his artistic career, he was part of groups such as Revé and 440. He currently serves as director of the orchestra, founded in 1990, Colé Colé, also known as La Salsa Caribe Súper. With the orchestra, he presents a varied repertoire filled with Cuban and Caribbean rhythms. He has been awarded the highest artistic recognition by the Cuban Ministry of Culture.

Sergio David Calzado Almenares is a graduate of Cuba’s National School of Art. He has been a member of several Cuban orchestras: the Pancho El Bravo Orchestra, Estrellas Cubanas, Ireson, Violines de Tropicana, and Ritmo Oriental. Since 1990, he has conducted La Charanga Habanera, where he introduced innovative instrumental formats and has made it a favorite among the vast majority of Cuban audiences.

Ricardo Leyva Caballero is a performer, composer, arranger, music producer, and director of Sur Caribe since 1987. “Nooranza por la conga” (Yearning for the Conga) is one of his most famous songs, where he achieved a symphonic approach by fusing the Santiago de Compostela conga with strings and brass. For this piece, he won the 2006 Cubadisco Award.

Cándido Fabré has been a member of orchestras such as the Original de Manzanillo, where he served as composer and vocal leader. He is among the three most recorded composers in Cuba and abroad. Among his songs is “Who Has Seen My Yarey Hat?” He is considered the King of improvisational music in Cuban dance music.

Manolito Simonet is a pianist, composer, producer, and arranger. He was a member of Lágrimas Negras, Inspiración, and Maravillas de Florida, two groups from Camagüey. In his group, he fused elements of charanga and conjunto music, achieving an impressive sound. He works in diverse Cuban and Caribbean musical genres. For his song “El Águila,” he received the ASCAP Award in the tropical music category.

Pablo Alfonso Fernández Gallo, or Paulito FG, is a singer and composer discovered by maestro Adalberto Álvarez. He formed Dan Den and Joaquín Betancourt’s Opus 13 Orchestra. He founded La Élite in 1992, with which he has remained among the top Cuban musicians and has earned him awards such as the Medal of National Culture.

Lázaro Moisés Valdés Rodríguez, popularly known as Lazarito Valdés, is a Cuban pianist, keyboardist, composer, and orchestra conductor. His orchestra, Bamboleo, was named Breakthrough Orchestra of the Year in 1995 at the annual Mi Salsa program. The group quickly garnered public acclaim, earning them the honor of representing Cuba at the 15th Plaza 95 Latin Jazz Festival. They also won the title of Breakthrough Orchestra of the Year at this event. That same year, they participated in the closing ceremony of the 10th Mexican Film Festival, held in Guadalajara. They have also won awards such as National Vanguard (five consecutive years and four consecutive years as a Provincial Vanguard); Bamboleo displays the Moncada flag (for the second time); and an American Grammy.

Orlando Valle, known as Maraca, is an arranger, composer, and brilliant flutist. He graduated from the Escuela Superior de Arte (1110 Calle 120 between 9th and 13th, Cubanacán, Playa, Havana). He was part of Irakere for six years, sharing the stage with internationally renowned musicians. Along with Otra Visión, he has won awards such as the EGREM National Record Award for Best Cuban Latin Jazz Album. He is the creator of the project “Maraca & Afro-Cuban Jazz Masters,” with which he has performed in countless countries.

David Álvarez, singer and guitarist from Santiago de Cuba, fronts Juego de Manos, where he also sings lead vocals. He composed songs such as Solavaya, Domingo, and Amor a Primera Vista. He has received numerous awards from Tropicana International Magazine and the program Fama y Aplausos.

Juan Carlos Alfonso, a Cuban pianist, was a member of Charangón de Revé and debuted with his Dan Den band, Las Charangas de Bejucal. His piano playing is one of the defining elements of his orchestra. He has performed songs such as El ritmo Dan Den, Mi cuerpo, and Quisiera pero no puedo.

Giraldo Piloto Baretto is a percussionist, composer, and arranger. He worked in the Tropicana cabaret orchestra (Calle 72 No. 4504, Marianao, Havana) and NG La Banda. His compositions include La permuta, Salir de conquista, and La matrícula, songs he has released with Klimax.

Moisés Valle, better known as Yumurí, began his career as a vocalist for the Orquesta Revé orchestra. He founded his group, Yumurí y sus Hermanos, with which he has released several productions such as Cocodrilo de Agua Salá (1993), Provocación (1996), Olvídame si Puede (Forget Me If You Can) (1999), Bilongo (2002), Salsa y Candela (2004), Yumurí Live CD/DVD (2005), Cubano Cubano (2009).

Nassiry Lugo Lugo, composer, singer, and director of one of Cuba’s most famous pop-rock bands, Moneda Dura, was founded in 1997 at the University of Havana (Ave. Universidad and G. Vedado, Plaza de la Revolución, Havana) while he was an English language student. With the band, he has represented Cuba at important events such as the Hispanic Heritage Gala in Spain. Their repertoire fuses alternative rock, pop, funk, reggae, and Cuban, Latin, and Caribbean music. Lugo composed most of the songs and arranged them.

With his group, he has released five albums, including “Cuando duerme La Habana,” “Callejero,” and “Alma sin bolsillos.” Almost all of them are composed with his own music, with the exception of “Ojalá,” which was written by a Nueva Trova group. Moneda Dura, from Lugo, is considered the number one Cuban pop-rock group and is a pioneer in the opening of pop music in Cuba.

Norberto Puente Quintana, a distinguished Cuban orchestra conductor, currently serves as the director of one of the legendary Cuban popular music groups, Maravilla de Florida. He has been a member of several Cuban groups, such as the Sonido Caliente orchestra from Las Tunas, the Conjunto Yakeré, the Charanga 86, the Conjunto Sorpesa, and the Orquesta Tínima, among others. Among the awards this Cuban musician has collected, we can mention his 2003 Adolfo Guzmán Popular Music Competition award for the song Yo te doy la clave.

Pedro Pablo Pérez Vargas does not have formal musical training. He served as a producer and manager for the group Laye Laye y Paulo FG. On December 4th, 1996, he founded his own orchestra, Bakuleyé, of which he is the director. He has also received several awards, including First Prize for Popular Music at the Lucas Awards (1997) and Most Popular New Orchestra in Cuba that same year.

Oderquis Revé is a prominent Cuban musician. When Elio Revé Matos invited him to join his Charangón, he had the opportunity to be the first to introduce the batá into a dance orchestra. He performed numerous times with this orchestra, but his artistic ambitions prompted him to start his own orchestra. Thus, Oderquis y su Changüí was born in 1998.

He has incorporated new rhythms into his orchestra’s repertoire and fused others, but his main focus remains Changüí, one of the most popular genres danced by Cuban audiences. The “Oderquis y su Changüí” orchestra quickly gained popularity from its first performances.