Buena Vista Orchestra in Cleveland

Buena Vista Orchestra bills itself as the foremost touring repertory ensemble for the music of the Buena Vista Social Club, drawing its rotating lineup from musicians who played alongside the original Cuban legends -- including artists associated with the Afro-Cuban All Stars, Celia Cruz, Omara Portuondo and Chucho Valdes. The group is led by trombonist and composer Jesus "Aguaje" Ramos, the original musical director, composer and trombonist of the Buena Vista Social Club itself, and its ranks have included other founding BVSC members on congas, bongo, piano and bass. The show reworks the son cubano, bolero and mambo standards that made the 1997 Buena Vista Social Club album and its Wim Wenders documentary a global phenomenon, played live by musicians with a direct lineage to that music. For Cleveland audiences on September 27, 2026, it's a chance to hear these classic Afro-Cuban arrangements performed by the people who helped originate them, rather than a cover act interpreting the catalog secondhand.