Carlos Franzetti

Born in Argentina, Carlos Franzetti began piano instruction during early childhood. Composition studies came after his relocation to Mexico in 1970. Once he completed his training at New York's Juilliard School, he assumed the post of director. Subsequent years brought collaborations with Paquito D'Rivera, Joe Farrell, Mercedes Sosa, and Chaka Khan, together with other accomplished musicians; during this span he wrote the soundtracks for Beat Street, Misunderstood, and The Mambo Kings while preparing arrangements for the Boston Pops Orchestra, Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, and the American Symphony Orchestra. In 1997 Franzetti received a Grammy award for Portraits of Cuba.