Biography

Fornaris Alfonso was born in 1973, in La Habana, Cuba. A musician from the town of Bejucal, he graduated from the National Art School in 1992, and the same year he started working as a keyboardist in the group Dandén, led by his older brother Juan Carlos Alfonso.

In 1995 he moved to Cali, Colombia, and participated in several groups, mainly Cali Charanga, a Latin-style orchestra, predecessor of the salsa which stands out for the use of the violin and the flute. He also played the piano with Marcelo Mejía, Ricardo Fuentes, Celina González, Gabino Pampini and directed his own group called Charanga del Sabor. In 1998, he moved to Bogota, where he gave violin classes and contributed as a violist in the Youth Symphony Orchestra. In the capital of Colombia, he also played with Charlie Zaa.  

In 1999, he traveled to Madrid to visit his sister, the musicologist and pianist María Angeles Alfonso, and decided to fix his residence in Spain. He has worked with several Madrid-based orchestras playing Spanish and Cuban music as well as salsa, delighting the audience with his violin solos. With his group Primera Vista, he has performed with singers José Luis Morán and Emilio Mena. He has also played with Diakocán, Acheresón, Alcatraz, Emilio Ibánez, Arahí, Orquesta del Solar, Estrellas de Niche, Mexican folklore and classical music orchestras.