Kiki Valera y su Son Cubano

Join us for a free outdoor community concert with Kiki Valera y su Son Cubano, masters of Cuba's iconic son cubano sound.

A multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, and producer, Valera is best known as one of the world's greatest players of the Cuban cuatro, a mid-size guitar with eight strings grouped in sets of two.

With infectious rhythms, melodic tres guitar, and vibrant vocals, this music is made for dancing — and for bringing people together. Grab your friends and your dancing shoes, and come celebrate music, movement, and community!

About the Band

Son cubano is one of the most popular musical styles in Cuba, and Kiki Valera is one of its foremost exponents. Over the last century, this style of traditional Cuban music has contributed to many other genres of music, including jazz, cha cha cha, mambo, salsa, songo, and timba. 

Valera, like most of his family, is a virtuoso: Valera is the oldest son of the famous La Familia Valera Miranda septet, a multigenerational traditional music group from Santiago de Cuba. Since the 19th century, La Familia Valera Miranda has played a significant role in Cuban culture by collecting and preserving the deep-rooted traditions of the legendary Sierra Maestra mountain region.

Valera continues to direct, compose, arrange, and perform internationally. He also performs and teaches in Seattle, where he contributes to the vibrant music scene of the Pacific Northwest. His current project features several other internationally acclaimed recording artists, including Coco Freeman (former lead singer of Adalberto Alvarez y su Son and NG La Banda), vocalist Carlos Cascante (three-time Grammy-winning vocalist of the Spanish Harlem Orchestra), trompetista Alexis Baró (Cubanismo and Omara Portuondo), and bongocero Pedro Vargas (Barbarito Torres' band).

This is Kiki Valera y su Son Cubano's first performance at the center.