Buena Vista Orchestra

Buena Vista Orchestra brings the Havana songbook back to the stage at Vogue Theatre, Vancouver, on October 31, 2026. Rooted in the Buena Vista Social Club project launched in mid-90s Havana by Juan de Marcos González with Ry Cooder, the orchestra carries the repertoire and spirit of the Cuban golden era. Son cubano, bolero, guajira and danzón are played in an acoustic, unadorned setup built around voices, guitars and tres, piano and traditional percussion.

On stage, the ensemble draws from the material that shaped the 1997 studio sessions and the concerts that followed, revisiting tunes associated with Compay Segundo, Ibrahim Ferrer or Omara Portuondo. The arrangements keep the pulse steady and the melodies upfront, with coro vocals, interlocking guitar lines and rolling piano patterns. It’s about songs, stories and dance steps carried by a group that treats this music as a living tradition, bringing classic Cuban forms to the present without losing their warmth or swing.