Click here for a personal interview with each musician.

Brian Amador
Musical director, arrangements, acoustic guitar, vocals, percussion
Of Mexican heritage, born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Brian was a founding member, arranger and co-producer of two albums with Flor de Caña. In 1995 he received a highly competitive artist grant awarded to the state's "exceptional artists" by the Massachusetts Cultural Council for music composition. He studied classical guitar and improvisation at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. In Madrid, Spain, he studied flamenco guitar. For five years, he was principal guitarist for the Ramon de los Reyes Spanish Dance Theater. He has spent the last ten years adapting his classical and flamenco technique to different Latin American musical styles, incorporating influences from Africa and the French and English speaking islands of the Caribbean. He is the group’s primary composer of original songs.

Rosi Amador
Company director, lead vocals, bongó, percussion
Of Argentine and Puerto Rican heritage, Rosi was raised by performer parents, who passed on to her their love of Latin American rhythms and musical styles. Her mother was a dancer, singer and actress, appearing in the U.S. and Europe with Bob Hope, Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin, among others, and in Mexico with comic actor "Cantinflas" (Mario Moreno). Her father began in radio in Buenos Aires and later became an actor, touring all over Latin America. With ten years of training as a soprano, Rosi was one of award-winning Flor de Caña's founding members and manager for ten years. She has been deeply influenced by popular Latin music, jazz, North American folk, blues and contemporary African vocal styles. With her husband she joyfully parents identical twin daughters Sonia and Alisa, born in April 1996.

Bernardo Monk
Flute, sax
From Buenos Aires, Argentina, Bernardo graduated from the Contemporary Music School in Buenos Aires, where he worked as a professional musician in his home country for ten years. His works include performances and recordings with many artists in very different styles, such as jazz, latin jazz, tango, fusion and musical comedies as well as soloist projects. He is currently studying at Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA where he has received several competitive scholarships and awards since beginning in 2001. His career in Boston includes performances and recordings with Oscar Stagnaro, Patricia Vlieg, Ryle's Jazz Orchestra, Fenway BrassArt Ensemble and Berklee Rainbow Big Band.

Nando Michelin
Piano, keyboards
After a very successful career in his homeland Uruguay, Nando Michelin came to Boston to develop his skills as piano player and composer at the Berklee College of Music. Since his graduation in 1991, he has recorded extensively here and in Uruguay with several acclaimed artists such as singer Teresa Inez and jazz trumpeter Tony D’Aveni, and his own band, comprising Jerry Bergonzi, Fernando Huergo, Steve Langone and Sula Da Silva. Nando also did the musical direction for tango/jazz singer Katie Viqueira's album "El Otro Lado" (The Other Side), has recorded a series of monthly performances with singer Giana Viscardi at the Acton Jazz Café, and serves as pianist for the Felipe Salles group. Other artists he has collaborated with include MPB icons Jair Rodrigues, Flavio Venturini, and Celso Adolfo. Currently he teaches at Berklee College of Music, Brookline Music School, and Tufts University.

Jorge Roeder
Acoustic and Electric Basses
A native from Lima, Peru, Jorge has performed a wide range of styles, including Peruvian Creole and Folkloric music, Jazz, Central and South American music, Classical and Rock. He began playing cello and electric bass at age 14, and later he switched to Double Bass at age 19, performing mostly Classical music and Jazz. He became assistant principal bassist of the Lima Philarmonic and Opera orchestras on the 2001-2002 season. After moving to Boston in the fall of 2002, Jorge got a degree in Jazz Performance from the prestigious New England Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Danilo Perez, Bob Moses, John Lockwood, Oscar Stagnaro and Charlie Banacos. Jorge has performed and recorded with artists such as Alex Acuna, Herbie Hancock, Victor Mendoza, Steve Turre, Roy Haynes and Bob Moses among others.

Aldemar A. Valentín
Bass
Bassist and composer Aldemar Valentin has played with Miguel Zenon, Danilo Perez, Paoli Mejias, Glen Monroig, Dave Samuels, Luis Perdomo, John La Porta, Ran Blake, Dave Valentin & Giovanni Hidalgo among many other greats. He has collaborated with the Puerto Rican Culture Institute and the Kennedy Center for the Performance Arts in Washington D.C. Former faculty member at the National Conservatory of Music, San Juan, Puerto Rico and the Inter American University in San German, Puerto Rico. Performances in Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Democratic Republic of Congo (Former Zaire), Republic of Congo, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria, Cameroon and the United States. Aldemar holds a Bachelor of Music Degree from Berklee College in Boston and currently works towards a Masters Degree in Jazz Studies (New England Conservatory of Music, Boston).

Renato Thoms
percussion
Born in Colón, Panamá, Renato began his music training at the Conservatory of the National University of Heredia in Costa Rica. After earning a Bachelor of Music Performance degree at Berklee College of Music, Renato received his Master of Music degree in Jazz Studies at The Boston Conservatory in 1998. Renato has performed with numerous well-regarded musicians and ensembles, including Rubén Blades, Eddie Palmieri's Latin Jazz & Salsa Orchestra, the Danilo Pérez Quintet, Brian Lynch, Hilton Ruiz, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Jon Lucien, Sol y Canto, Paquito D'Rivera,Victor Mendoza, Conrad Herwig, Antonio Hart and the late Pete "El Conde" Rodriguez. Mr. Thoms was a finalist in the 2000 Thelonious Monk Hand Druming competition, and cast member-musician of the 2005 Broadway production of the Mambo Kings.

Alan del Castillo
Quena, ocarina, vocals
The son of British and Spanish parents, Alan was raised in Puerto Rico. He has pursued a rich variety of musical disciplines parallel to his medical career. He has travelled often in Latin America, absorbing musical influences from throughout the continent. He first fell in love with South American music when he was studying medicine while living in England. There he met Chilean refugees who deeply influenced him. He performed classical music with the Univesity College Choir and Chorus of the Philharmonia Orchestra of London for 3 years, as well as recording for the B.B.C. After moving from London to Boston, he continued to play South American music with the trio Andanzas, recording and touring widely. He currently lives in Puerto Rico, where he practices psychiatry, though more often than not he comes to the U.S. to tour with Sol y Canto, particularly since the 1999 release of their CD, “En todo momento”, which prominiently features Alan as a vocalist. A talented singer, Alan's soulful quena and ocarina playing is one of his fortes.