We thought you might like to know a little more about us, so each of us answered the following questions:

1. WHAT DO YOU THINK IS MOST DISTINCTIVE ABOUT YOU AS A PERSON?

2. HOW DID YOU COME TO BE DOING THIS MUSIC?

3. WHAT ARE YOUR ASPIRATIONS IN LIFE?

4. WHAT HAS BEEN AMONGST YOUR MOST EXCITING MUSICAL PERFORMANCES OR EXPERIENCES EVER?

5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FOOD?

Here's what Rosi, Brian, Alan, Carlos, Bernardo, Jon, Nando and Arturo said:

ROSI AMADOR:
1. WHAT DO YOU THINK IS MOST DISTINCTIVE ABOUT YOU AS A PERSON? I’m a hopeless optimist. What most feeds me is to connect with others and to contribute to connecting people to one another. I'm a very affectionate person and I love being close to others.

2. HOW DID YOU COME TO BE DOING THIS MUSIC? I was raised around latin music. My parents were both performers. Papi was a frustrated tango singer (and professional actor) who sang tangos in the shower daily and played tango records incessantly. Mami sang and danced Latin music. In 1984 I was selected to participate in a cultural exchange tour to Nicaragua by the then Ministry of Culture, along with Brian. Upon our return we founded our first professional latin band, Flor de Caña.

2. HOW DID YOU COME TO BE DOING THIS MUSIC? I have two great joys in my life: I’m blessed to be doing what I most love as my life work – singing and managing Sol y Canto and directing a Latin music agency, MusicAmador, founded in 1996, that books outstanding, awe inspiring Latin music and dance in North America and Puerto Rico. Through these two I pursue one of my major aspirations: to promote cross-cultural understanding. The other is parenting (with Brian) our twins, Alisa and Sonia, born 4/2/96. Creating the balance between my work and being a nurturing and loving mother to my girls, and a good partner to Brian is a major life goal. Living in a more just and peaceful world would no doubt be another!

4. WHAT HAS BEEN AMONGST YOUR MOST EXCITING MUSICAL PERFORMANCES OR EXPERIENCES EVER? Singing Brian’s latin orchestral suite, “Prisma de amores” with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project under the auspices of FleetBoston Celebrity Series and dressing up for it!

5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FOOD? Not in any particular order: Puerto Rican platanitos (ripe plantains), Argentine mojellas (sweetbreads) and tocino (bacon)-crispy , please. And of course, chocolate - dark, please. Last but not least, all of Brian’s dishes on a good night of his cooking!

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BRIAN AMADOR:
1. WHAT DO YOU THINK IS MOST DISTINCTIVE ABOUT YOU AS A PERSON? My slightly sick sense of humor. A gift for language and a playful spirit. A love of cooking and eating good food. I’m honest too!

2. HOW DID YOU COME TO BE DOING THIS MUSIC? My earliest musical studies were in classical music. After studying classical guitar for several years, I felt that I needed more spontaneity and energy. I began to study flamenco and later came to Latin music which has fascinated me since the first time I heard it.

2. HOW DID YOU COME TO BE DOING THIS MUSIC? Pay off my debts! To perform often enough to live comfortably and still have time to spend with my family and to continue to raise two happy, healthy girls. To see a world where hope and compassion replace fear and hate.

4. WHAT HAS BEEN AMONGST YOUR MOST EXCITING MUSICAL PERFORMANCES OR EXPERIENCES EVER? The debut of my suite, “Prisma de amores” with Boston Modern Orchestra Project.

5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FOOD? Anything I cook on a good night. Also chocolate. Does tequila count?

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ALAN DEL CASTILLO
1. WHAT DO YOU THINK IS MOST DISTINCTIVE ABOUT YOU AS A PERSON? My eclecticism- a love of many kinds of music including classical, Greek and latin music; languages, travel, photography and good food.

2. HOW DID YOU COME TO BE DOING THIS MUSIC? I learned a lot of South American music from the Chilean and Argentine expatriots in London in the 1970’s. Like many other musicians, I came to appreciate Afro-Caribbean music after leaving Puerto Rico , primarily with Sol y Canto. Now I dare to play the claves and occasionally get it right!

3. WHAT ARE YOUR ASPIRATIONS IN LIFE? To keep playing good music; to be a positive influence in my community and to be surrounded by good friends.

4. WHAT HAS BEEN AMONGST YOUR MOST EXCITING MUSICAL PERFORMANCES OR EXPERIENCES EVER? Singing Beethoven’s “Missa Solemnis” with the Philharmonia Chorus and Orchestra conducted by Lorin Maazell in London in 1978. Peter Ustinov read a moving letter by B Beethoven just before the performance and the effect was electric. The memory still gives me goose bumps.

5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FOOD? A hot Indian curry with all the trimmings!

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CARLOS DEL PIÑO:
1. WHAT DO YOU THINK IS MOST DISTINCTIVE ABOUT YOU AS A PERSON? My honesty. To live in our society and be able to work with others, honesty is a quality that attracts friends and helps me live. An important aside: I left Cuba in 1995, moved to Costa Rica. Moved to Puerto Rico in 1998 and came to Boston in 2000.

2. HOW DID YOU COME TO BE DOING THIS MUSIC? My basis is in my family history. My father played Latin music. I was surrounded by Latin folk and dance music always. I traveled frequently to my father’s concerts. He built my unusual bass for me when I was 12. (Carlos uses an electric-acoustic bass constructed of the neck of a stand-up bass, attached to a small wooden rectangle upon which the electric apparatus is installed. )

3. WHAT ARE YOUR ASPIRATIONS IN LIFE? To become a renowned musician in the United States.

4. WHAT HAS BEEN AMONGST YOUR MOST EXCITING MUSICAL PERFORMANCES OR EXPERIENCES EVER? Participating in the North Sea Jazz Festival in Holland in 1988. I played with “Opus 13”, a renowned Cuban Latin jazz ensemble.

5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FOOD? All Cuban food!

P.S. I’m looking for a soul-mate. Email me!

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BERNARDO MONK:
1. WHAT DO YOU THINK IS MOST DISTINCTIVE ABOUT YOU AS A PERSON? My most distinctive personal quality is my ability to reach my goals no Matter how hard it is to reach them.

2. HOW DID YOU COME TO BE DOING THIS MUSIC? Ever since I can remember, music has been the most important thing in my life; no matter what kind of music it is. I’m proud of being Latin American and this is the music that best describes me not only as a musician but as a person.

3. WHAT ARE YOUR ASPIRATIONS IN LIFE? My main aspiration in life is being happy. To reach this goal it is vital to keep making music as a way of life. I want to be not only the best musician I can be, but the best person I can be.

4. WHAT HAS BEEN AMONGST YOUR MOST EXCITING MUSICAL PERFORMANCES OR EXPERIENCES EVER? Before coming to Boston I had the chance to play in a jazz festival opening for Dave Weckl’s band. That was a sign that it was possible to reach my goals. Now that I'm in Boston, each performance is extremely exciting for me because I grow up in each one. For me, playing Sol y Canto’s music is a way of being in my homeland, at least for a while.

5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FOOD? My favorite food is Argentine "asado" with a good ice cream as a dessert.

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JON WEEKS:
1. WHAT DO YOU THINK IS MOST DISTINCTIVE ABOUT YOU AS A PERSON? I have an easy going nature. I value the differences and eccentricities of others. I usually look for the humor in any situation.

2. HOW DID YOU COME TO BE DOING THIS MUSIC? An early fascination with musical instruments followed by influence of the Beatles and Jethro Tull led me to Jazz and the music of Chick Corea with Airto. I was hooked on the percussive elements of the music and have dedicated myself to learning more about the different styles of rhythm based afro/Latin music.

3. WHAT ARE YOUR ASPIRATIONS IN LIFE? To live a long healthy, musically active life and enjoy what I do from day to day. If I can share that with others, so much the better.

4. WHAT HAS BEEN AMONGST YOUR MOST EXCITING MUSICAL PERFORMANCES OR EXPERIENCES EVER? One of the most meaningful performances was among my first in a local club when my parents came to hear us play for the first time. Another would be a stint at Disney World in Florida. These people know how to put on a show.

5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FOOD? Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and my lovely wife's famous desserts.

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NANDO MICHELIN:
1. WHAT DO YOU THINK IS MOST DISTINCTIVE ABOUT YOU AS A PERSON? I like to believe that I'm a person who has a clear vision of what he wants, and that I always prioritize the spritual wellbeing of those who surround me.

2. HOW DID YOU COME TO BE DOING THIS MUSIC?
I was a music-loving chemistry student, until the day I listened to Egberto Gismonti, the great Brazilian musician. After that I felt that I'd never be satisfied in life without transmitting what he had shown me. These days, every time I am on a stage, before performing, I recall the first notes he played and how they made me feel, so that I can "place myself" into a similar context and pursue my objectives as a musician.

3. WHAT ARE YOUR ASPIRATIONS IN LIFE? Combining the two previous responses it's fairly easy to infer what my aspirations are.

4. WHAT HAS BEEN AMONGST YOUR MOST EXCITING MUSICAL PERFORMANCES OR EXPERIENCES EVER? Without a doubt my first performances in Uruguay were laden with high energy content, perhaps due to my age, or be it because they were my first attempts. About my Bostonian phase, I think when Double Time Records contacted me to purchase my CD, ART. After releasing two CD's with Brownstone Records, I was quite anxious about identifying a label that might have the European market in mind. This is how a new series of recordings for Brownstone was launched, which includes four CD's so far. With respect to concerts, each time I sit at the piano I attempt (not always successfully) that it be my best performance, and I believe that on some occasions with Katie Viqueira (singer from Buenos Aires) I have attained it.

5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FOOD? All that is cooked with love and care has a unique flavor. Any dish prepared by my wife, Paula, has that quality in which there is no condiment "added" to the meal, but rather each ingredient is meticulously integrated. My mother imparted this requirement into me!

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ARTURO STABLE:
1. WHAT DO YOU THINK IS MOST DISTINCTIVE ABOUT YOU AS A PERSON? I'm a very persistent person.

2. HOW DID YOU COME TO BE DOING THIS MUSIC? Good luck.

3. WHAT ARE YOUR ASPIRATIONS IN LIFE? I'd like to reach at least 85% of my goals.

4. WHAT HAS BEEN AMONGST YOUR MOST EXCITING MUSICAL PERFORMANCES OR EXPERIENCES EVER? Last summer, after three years without seeing my brother and my father, we got together to play for the first time. My brother start playing clarinet while I was here in the U.S a year ago.

5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FOOD? "Tacos al pastor" with green hot sauce and fried plantains.

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