Creating the sound of the Tony Award-winning ‘Buena Vista Social Club’ musical

The Broadway show, featuring the songs of the same-named band, earned five awards for creating a lush sonic landscape that honors Cuban culture and history.

At the 78th Tony Awards, the musical Buena Vista Social Club won four prizes: Best Featured Actress, Best Choreography, Best Orchestrations, and Best Sound Design, plus a special award for the 10-piece band that occupies center stage for much of the show. These winners now know the sound of their name following the words “And the Tony goes to…”

The band, plus Marco Paguia (orchestrations) and Jonathan Deans (sound design), expressed their joy to reporters in the Tonys press room. They also shared how meaningful it was for them to be part of the production, acclaimed for its invigorating renditions of the titular Cuban band's globally celebrated music.

“We carry on our shoulders the whole culture of one country,” said guitarist David Oquendo. “All the music, all the love, all the pain and suffering and the legacy.”

With that, there came a huge responsibility to bring the music to the stage so that it is, Oquendo added, at “the highest level.”

Buena Vista Social Club on Broadway is based on the eponymous band's 1997 album and documentary of the same name. The musical transports audiences to Havana, celebrating Cuba's rich musical heritage while dramatizing (with some historical liberties) the journey of legendary BVSC musicians who were rediscovered in their later years.

Asked how they tackled the challenge of reinventing these songs that have been beloved by many for decades, the pair admitted it took work and plenty of fine-tuning.

“For us to bring it to Broadway, [it] was a huge challenge, especially to score entirely in Spanish,” said Paguia. “But we know that music communicates beyond language, and you can feel it, the audience can feel it.”

“I’ve had so much pride, and so much playing music with these amazing musicians every night and learning so much about their culture and these songs,” he added. “It's just so meaningful. We feel it for the artists.”

Audiences, too, are gaining a new appreciation for BVSC's music through this band, whether they came into the show familiar with it or not. Said Renecito Avich, who plays guitarist Eliades in the musical, "Good music is always in trend, and we have in our hands now the possibility to pass it to the future."

Get Buena Vista Social Club tickets now.

Gillian Russo contributed reporting to this story.

Top image credit: The company of Buena Vista Social Club performing at the 2025 Tony Awards. (Photo courtesy of Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
In-article image credit: The cast of Buena Vista Social Club on Broadway. (Photo by Matthew Murphy)