Created in honor of Latin music icon Tito Puente, this series celebrates 16 years of bringing live Latin music with a strong salsa influence to Boston parks. The series is sponsored in part by:

• Berklee College of Music, and
• Inquilinos Boricuas en Accion
• Free salsa lessons are led by MetaMovements.

Jesús Pagán was born in 1970 in New York City to Puerto Rican parents, and from a very young age has had affinity and passion for tropical music and live performances. After living in Puerto Rico through his formative years, he has steadily honed his craft as a background vocalist and lead singer in the New England and the tri-state region, quickly ingratiating himself with the fan base and becoming a first tier artist on the salsa and dance scene.

Throughout the years, he has continued to record, travel, and appear at some of the foremost musical venues in the world. For example, Pagán has had the honor of singing at the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York City alongside the legendary Gilberto Santa Rosa and Eguie Castrillo’s Big Band in 2013. He was also a guest artist at the sold out concert at the beautiful Macarena Arena in Medellin, Colombia as the lead vocalist with Orquesta Dicupé in front of over 20,000 adoring salsa fans.

Jesús Pagán y Su Orquesta was featured at the sold out concert From Woodstock to Old San Juan at the prestigious Academy of Music in the city of Northampton, Massachusetts. Pagán has had the immense honor of performing with his band as the opening group at concerts for Latin dignitaries such as Willie Colón, Milly Quezada, and La India, among others.

For his contributions, talent, and dedication to the salsa genre, Pagán was named in the book La Historia de la Salsa en Discusión, released in Cali, Colombia as one of the new era  of salsa artists keeping the flame and legacy of Latin music alive in this emerging world of musical marketing and digital distribution.

Among his numerous accomplishments, Pagán was invited to perform in 2023 at the Coca-Cola Music Hall in San Juan, Puerto Rico, honoring the 100th birthday of Latin music legend Tito Puente.

For 2024, Pagán has released his latest musical production, an intriguing compendium of his most popular singles and album tracks. In essence, it is a definitive collection of eight songs that exemplify the contagious beat and electric style of a musician who is always striving to reach new heights as a vocalist, bandleader, and entertainer.

Created in honor of Latin music icon Tito Puente, this series celebrates years of bringing live Latin music with a strong salsa influence to Boston parks. The series is sponsored in part by:

• Berklee College of Music, and
• Inquilinos Boricuas en Accion.
• Free salsa lessons are led by MetaMovements.

Manolo Mairena, a native of Costa Rica, came to the United States at the age of sixteen and settled in Worcester, Massachusetts. He began his musical career at 21 as a percussionist, performing traditional Puerto Rican music with renowned musician Miguel Almestica. Word of his talent spread quickly, and soon, Latin bands across Boston were eager to recruit him. Over the years, Mairena has performed with numerous acclaimed groups, including Tropical Sound, Mango Blue, Gonzalo Grau y La Clave Secreta, Manguito, Balatón, I-Level, Combo Sabroso, Eguie Castrillo, and his own band.

Immersed in Boston’s rich cultural diversity and deeply inspired by his own musical roots, Mairena has become a dedicated student and passionate performer of Afro-Caribbean and Latin American music.

Over time, Mairena also developed as a vocalist and has been involved in a wide range of musical projects. He had the honor of recording a medley of boleros as a tribute to the late Tito Rodríguez, appearing as a guest artist with renowned percussionist Eguie Castrillo & His Orquestra. Among his many collaborations, he contributed to Frutero Moderno by La Clave Secreta, which was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Tropical Album. He also recorded as a soloist on La Pasión Según San Marcos, a celebrated work which he has performed around the world.

Mairena has had the privilege of performing at remarkable events alongside many talented friends in some of the world’s most iconic venues and festivals. His journey has taken him to the Sydney Opera House in Australia, the Benny Moré Festival in Cienfuegos, Cuba, the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, and the Blue Frog Acoustic Lounge and Studios in Mumbai, India. He has also appeared at the Heineken Jazz Festival in Puerto Rico, the Centro de Convenciones in Cartagena, Colombia, Teatro Colón in Argentina, the Festival of World Cultures in Ireland, and the Toros y Salsa Festival in France. In the UK, he has performed at both the Barbican Theatre and the Glastonbury Festival. His international performances extend to Spain, the Canary Islands, the Netherlands, Ecuador, Chile, and Mexico, which is a testament to his global reach and the universal appeal of his music.

Mairena has released three productions: Mi Oportunidad (2008), De Todo Un Poco (2018), and Esto es lo que hay (2023). Currently, Mairena is working on his fourth album, Sin Miedo, on which he is featured as a composer, arranger, singer, and percussionist.

Created in honor of Latin music icon Tito Puente, this series celebrates years of bringing live Latin music with a strong salsa influence to Boston parks. The series is sponsored in part by:

• Berklee College of Music, and
• Inquilinos Boricuas en Accion).
• Free salsa lessons are led by MetaMovements.

Clave & Blues is a young Cuban music and Latin jazz band that has performed at several concert halls and festivals in the Boston area since 2016, including Lawrence Jazz Festival, Boston POPS, and many others. The mix between Afro-Cuban rhythms, blues, R&B, and world music creates a contemporary sound that gives this band its place in the New England music scene. The band includes professional international musicians under the direction of Cuban pianist and Berklee graduate Anibal Cruz. Their first single, "La Raza" (2020), shares a call for peace, diversity, celebration, and inclusion — a tribute to traditional Cuban music and its culture.

"Our goal is to create music that engages people of all ages and cultural backgrounds. We aim to grow an audience that loves Cuban music and its culture."

Created in honor of Latin music icon Tito Puente, this series celebrates years of bringing live Latin music with a strong salsa influence to Boston parks. The series is sponsored in part by:

• Berklee College of Music, and
• Inquilinos Boricuas en Accion
• Free salsa lessons are led by MetaMovements.

Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation scholarship recipient Kristalis Sotomayor has just earned her master’s degree in classical flute from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. Now, she’s making waves with the launch of her exciting new charanga band, Kristalis y Las Nenas del Swing ("The Swingin’ Babes").

This dynamic ensemble features seven exceptional female Latin musicians hailing from Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico, joined by two equally talented male musicians from Colombia and Panama.

Created in honor of Latin music icon Tito Puente, this series celebrates years of bringing live Latin music with a strong salsa influence to Boston parks. The series is sponsored in part by:

• Berklee College of Music, and
• Inquilinos Boricuas en Accion.
• Free salsa lessons are led by MetaMovements.

Hugo Díaz was raised in the vibrant world of tropical music. At the age of 15, he discovered his natural talent for singing and has been performing ever since. His musical development began with Cinco En Clave, led by director Carlos Daly, where he had the opportunity to share the stage with notable artists such as Mel Martinez, Paquito Acosta, Wiki Gonzalez, Primi Cruz, and Manolo Lezcano.

As his career progressed, doors began to open for Díaz, and he went on to perform with La Orquesta Mulenze, La Orquesta Abran Paso, as well as with prominent figures in the Latin music scene, including Pedro Brull, Yolanda Rivera, Luigi Texidor, Luisito Carrión, Tito Rojas, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Pichie Perez, and many others.

Díaz's performances have taken him to renowned venues like the Lincoln Center in New York, where he captivated an audience of 7,000 people, as well as countless patronal celebrations and festivals. His rich musical journey continues to resonate with audiences worldwide.

Created in honor of Latin music icon Tito Puente, this series celebrates years of bringing live Latin music with a strong salsa influence to Boston parks.  The series is sponsored in part by:

• Berklee College Music
• Inquilinos Boricuas en Accion
• Free salsa lessons are led by MetaMovements

Barbara Zamora Vargas is a Cuban singer and songwriter renowned for her versatility and distinguished career in music. She graduated from the Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA) in Havana, Cuba, specializing in choral conducting under the guidance of esteemed instructors like Linda Mirabal, Zenaida Castro Romeu, and María Felicia Pérez.

In 1992, Vargas joined the legendary Cuban female orchestra Anacaona, where she has remained as a lead singer ever since. With Anacaona, she has performed on global stages and participated in numerous prestigious festivals, including Nuits D'Afrique in Montreal, Sunfest in London, Aruba’s International Jazz Festival, and Salsa al Parque in Bogotá, Colombia. Her work with Anacaona also saw her perform in the musical theater production El Burgués Gentilhombre, which was showcased at the Chaillot Theatre in Paris, the Metropolitan Hall in Mexico City, and the Monte Carlo Casino in Monaco.

Vargas's career extends far beyond Anacaona. She has contributed as a backup singer in several notable productions, including the Latin Grammy-winning La Rumba Soy Yo in 2001, Isaac Delgado’s Versos en el Cielo, and Control by Manolito y su Trabuco. As a soloist, she has performed in prestigious events like the Adolfo Guzmán and OTI contests, as well as the Benny Moré Festival.

In 2011, Vargas launched her solo career with the release of Mi Entrega, an album that showcases her songwriting talents across a variety of genres, including bolero, son, blues, salsa, cha-cha-cha, danzón, and fusion. Her work continues to resonate with audiences worldwide, marking her as a significant figure in Latin music.

Our arts and crafts workshops are led by local artists. They're held Tuesday through Friday in July and August and run from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. These drop-in workshops encourage kids to explore their creativity through projects like mask making, crayon art, watercolor and much more. Supplies are provided, but you'll need to bring your creativity! 

This series is completely free and open to Boston residents. These workshops will take place in various parks throughout the City of Boston.

Pre-registration is required for groups of 8 or more. Please email allison.singer2@boston.gov to register.

This series is also weather-dependent. Check our social media pages for updated weather info regarding this series. Follow us on social media for the latest updates on events: Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.