Roberto Fonseca is a Cuban pianist, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, and bandleader. Born in Havana, he has released numerous solo albums blending various genres, earning a Grammy nomination and performing worldwide. With a keen jazz sensitivity and deep roots in Afro-Cuban tradition, Fonseca constantly surprises audiences.
Described by The Guardian as “the most exciting pianist in Cuba,” and praised by Le Figaro for “doing something new with the old, never denying his origins while opening to the world,” Fonseca creates music that The New York Times calls “making all possibilities seem possible, and the moment feel perfect and intensely real.”
Raised in San Miguel del Padrón, a humble neighborhood on Havana’s southeastern outskirts, Fonseca comes from a musical family: his father was a drummer, and his mother, Mercedes Cortes Alfaro, a dancer at the legendary Tropicana club and a renowned bolero singer in Cuba. Composing since his youth, his piano technique is percussive and muscular yet agile and delicate.
His eclectic musical tastes range from hard rock (for its energy and bass lines), American jazz (influenced by Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett, and Oscar Peterson), funk, soul, African and Brazilian music, reggaeton, electronic music, hip-hop, to classical composers like Mozart, Chopin, Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, Grieg, and Bartók. Always present is the vibrant, resilient, and creatively fertile music of Cuba — the heartbeat of his sound.
With deep Afro-Cuban roots as his foundation, Fonseca builds bridges between ancient traditions and modernity, pushing Cuban music — and music as a whole — forward, breaking chains and expanding possibilities. He inspires young Cuban musicians, for whom his genre-crossing adventures and international success are a beacon.
Fonseca’s international spotlight shone brightly in 2001 when he joined the legendary Buena Vista Social Club, taking over the piano seat from the ailing Rubén González, and touring worldwide with the legendary singer Ibrahim Ferrer and other BVSC alumni, including diva Omara Portuondo.
He has also collaborated with Raúl Midón, Mayra Andrade, and Fatoumata Diawara. Music lovers have recognized his sharp playing, brilliant ideas, unmistakable Cuban essence, and an indescribable coolness.
This concert promises to be a memorable journey through Latin music, fueled by the pulse of Buena Vista and infused with diverse genre influences — an unmissable event for all fans of world music.
