Anthony Blea

This talented violinist and bandleader emerged as a leading force this year with his self-produced album 'Virgen de La Caridad'. He changed the name of his group from Charansón to 'Anthony Blea y su Charanga' to avoid hassles with another group of the same name. A dedicated classical and Latin musician, he is a veteran master musician who harbors a bright future ahead with salsa dura-style charanga!

He started studying the violin at age 8 and was awarded a full scholarship to attend the San Francisco Conservatory of Music at age 11. Upon completion of his preparatory music studies, Anthony traveled to New York City to continue his musical and academic enrichment at the Manhattan School of Music where he received his Bachelor's degree. In addition he received his Master's degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, concentrating on String Quartet. His formidable skill on the violin landed him work with many international legends such as, Israel "Cachao" Lopez, Ray Charles, Boz Scaggs and Leonard Bernstein to name a few. Most notably Anthony has played with the San Francisco Opera Orchestra. Anthony's 8 piece salsa band has been in existence for ten years and their debut CD has enjoyed critical acclaim.