Cuban songwriter Ronkalunga in concert

Cuban songwriter Ronkalunga in concert

Palenke Arts proudly presents award-winning singer-songwriter Ronkalunga from Baracoa/Guantánamo, Cuba. He will be performing in concert with fellow Cuban masters Carlitos Medrano (congas/cajón), Ernesto Mazar Kindelán (stand-up bass/vocals), El Niche (trumpet), Julio de la Cruz (piano) and Venezuelan guitar virtuoso Carlos Caminos.

Ronaldo Rodríguez Hernández, born in eastern Cuba, the cradle of soneros and trovadores, founded: Ronkalunga in 2018 as a tribute to his African and Caribbean roots. Blending traditional Cuban sounds with global genres like reggae, rock, funk, and pop, Ronkalunga creates a vibrant fusion of changüí, bolero, and trova. The result is a fresh, yet rooted sound that bridges cultures, honors heritage, and speaks to an international audience.

With a growing international presence, Ronkalunga has earned some of Cuba’s highest honors, including the Cubadisco Award, the nation’s most prestigious recognition for recorded music. His audiovisual work “El Refranero” received acclaim with a Lucas Award, and his genre-defying sound was celebrated with a Cuerda Viva Award for Alternative Music.Born in Baracoa on February 10, 1992, Ronaldo/Ronkalunga or simply Kalunga ventured into composition and interpretation from an early age, accompanied by his guitar. An Industrial Engineering student at the Universidad de Oriente, he moved to Havana, where he became a professional with this project.

He performed in Spain in 2019 at the Intercultural Festival of Nations and in 2020 he performed, along with Silvio Rodríguez, in one of his concerts on the Tour of the Neighborhoods. He performed at the awards gala of the Alternative Music Festival "Cuerda Viva 2020" that was recorded in the Arcos de Cristal hall of Cabaret Tropicana.

Ronkalunga is an heir to the rich tradition of Sonera, Changüicera, and Caribeña Cuban musical genres, with influences from legendary figures such as Guayabero and Compay Segundo, reviving the Pregón, Guaracha, Bolero, and Son Cuban musical genres. In his musical performances, Ronkalunga continues to fuse Cuban musical tradition with an alternative sound, as he did on his albums "Raros Pasos" and "Aguacero" (both released on the Cuban record label Bis Music). His latest singles Carnicero and Coco y Guayaba are getting extensive playtime in spotify, and clubs and radio stations in Miami.

Ronaldo currently resides in Napa, California with his wife and child, although he travels frequently to Cuba to record and perform at emblematic venues, such as the Fábrica de Arte Cubano.

Host or Publisher Palenke Arts