Newly Minted Special Tony Winner Renesito Avich Brings the Soul of Santiago de Cuba to Broadway in Buena Vista Social Club

When Renesito Avich steps onto the stage at the Schoenfeld Theatre as Eliades Ochoa in Buena Vista Social Club, he brings with him not only the sound of Cuba’s iconic tres guitar, but the spirit of his hometown, Santiago de Cuba.

A virtuoso musician and composer (and a three-time Latin Grammy nominee), Avich has spent his life studying and honoring the rhythms and harmonies of his culture. Known for blending Cuban folk traditions with jazz and classical influences, he’s toured internationally and released multiple albums, earning acclaim for his technical precision and emotional depth. Now, in his Broadway debut, he channels one of his childhood heroes, the real-life Ochoa—a member of the original Buena Vista Social Club and a fellow Santiaguero.

In this conversation, Avich — a newly minted Special Tony Award winner alongside the show’s full band — shares how he fell in love with the tres, the roots of his musical language, and what it means to celebrate Cuban identity on a Broadway stage.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

For those who don’t know, what is the tres and how did you pick it up?
The tres is a national guitar from Cuba; it’s our folk guitar. It has three pairs of double strings. It has its roots in Africa and the Middle East, and it’s one of those instruments that came in with immigration. The first time we heard about the tres was in 1782; it was being played in the carnival of Santiago de Cuba, which is my hometown. The tres is pretty much the only harmonic instrument we had in those times to create music, so it is a big part of the root of Cuban music.

I started with classical guitar. When I was around 15 years old, I was into percussion, piano, our Cuban folk music. Someone handed me a tres and I think I understood what it represented, and that was it. I fell in love for the rest of my life. I found it even easier to play than guitar. Some people might think because it has double strings, it’s hard to play. But, musically speaking, everything is based on three notes: G, C, and E. The positions are so simple.

And the sound is so distinctive. You know instantly where the music is coming from.
The tres has two strings that are in octave. When you hear the sixth interval, the atmosphere it creates between the octave and a note, you think you’re in Cuba right away. Everything in between the first and third pairs of string sounds like Cuba.

Who were your musical influences growing up?
Well, Buena Vista Social Club. Being in this musical is a new stage for me, but it’s also a cycle that flows. I come from the same town as my character, Eliades Ochoa, and Compay Seguno. They were my soundtrack growing up. “Chan Chan” was the first music reading that I did when I was six years old. Compay was part oof a group called Los Compadres. They were a duet, just two guitars and two voices, and they sounded like an orchestra. He’s named Compay Seguno because he’s the second voice, and he was able to harmonize with the leading melody. They’re part of the language in Santiago de Cuba.

Back in Santiago de Cuba, it was difficult to listen to streaming music. Everything was on CD. I remember family that were living in the States brought me MP3s. I was very into looking at different sounds and different ways to reach my own language of Cuban music. I have a tress, three pairs of strings in my hand, but I’m willing to make a sound like a trumpet or a piano. I try to connect with an audience no matter how many notes I play. When we establish a conversation, that’s it. That’s my moment every night.

What does it mean to you to play Eliades in the show, knowing his influence on your life?
It’s huge. I remember being in Santiago de Cuba and missing my lunchtime just waiting to see him perform. To be able to pass on his style of singing, his way to see the music, and his fingerprint on the Buena Vista Social Club means everything to me. I was able to meet him last year in Miami, and I hope he’s coming to the show to witness what we’ve been doing with his music.

Has the Cuban community in New York embraced this show?
There are a lot of Cubans coming to the show. You can tell we’re doing something good and that we’re on the right track. I’m really proud of it. A few weeks ago, the [pedicab] bikes outside the theater were playing “Chan Chan” and Buena Vista Social Club because they saw so many Cubans coming out of the theater. It became a big Buena Vista Social Club party on 45^th Street on Broadway, with Cuban flags. I am so lucky to be part of such a great band, led by Marco Paguia, and the creative team is really taking care of us. We’re having such fun.