MUSIC

Arena Theatre presents Willie Colon & Gilberto Santa Rosa, Friday, June 29, 2012 @ 8:00PM.

Willie Colón, Bronx-born of Puerto Rican grandparents, has fused his musical talent, his passion for humanity, and his community and political activism into an extraordinary, multifaceted career.

His achievements in all his activities are widely recognized. As musician, composer, arranger, singer, and trombonist, as well as producer and director, Colón still holds the all time record for sales, he has created 40 productions that have sold more than thirty million records worldwide. His collaboration with Ruben Blades, "Siembra", is the biggest selling album of all time for this genre. His collaboration with Hector LaVoe was the milestone that spread this fusion of tropical/urban music throughout Latin America. He is a strong catalog sale artist, whose songs are included in almost every Salsa artist’s repertoire.

His music, which has powerfully influenced modern Latin jazz, reflects both rhythmic traditional lyrics and the cries of farewell and hope from a new generation pressured to abandon their homeland to congregate in urban America.

Through his work, positive message and example Willie Colón has developed into an internationally respected socio-political voice, equally at home on the entertainment or political scene, whether it be New York City, Latin America, the Vatican and the world.

Gilberto Santa Rosa, also known as "El Caballero de la Salsa",  is a Puerto Rican bandleader and singer of salsa and bolero. Santa Rosa was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, a city on the north eastern part of the Island. Here he received his primary and secondary education and became interested in music. He took part in his first concert while a teenager and in 1976, he made his recording debut as a backup singer with the Mario Ortiz Orchestra; soon afterwards he was recruited by La Grande Orchestra, where he became the lead singer. He remained with the orchestra for two years, during which time he met Elias Lopes who helped to mold and polish him as a singer.

A sonero is an improvising salsa singer, and Santa Rosa is considered one of the true ‘soneros” of his generation. He is known for his exceptional interpretation of ‘salsa romantica’ as well as a great singer of the “tropical” style of music.