The Sarahbanda grew out of Sarah Willis’s idea to firmly integrate the classical horn into a Cuban band for the first time—an idea inspired by her successful project Mozart y Mambo. To realize this vision, she brought together an ensemble of outstanding Cuban musicians who share her passion for salsa, son, and mambo, blending these styles with new and distinctive sound colors.
The band’s debut album was released in 2024, featuring fresh arrangements of popular Cuban classics as well as original compositions, including works by Jorge Aragón, Edgar Olivero, and other members of the ensemble. While always remaining true to the Cuban tradition, the Sarahbanda continues to develop and expand it. The ensemble regularly appears at major festivals and concert venues, including the Lucerne Festival, the Rheingau Music Festival, the Berlin Philharmonie, and Schloss Elmau. In 2025, their second album, Cuban Christmas, was released by Deutsche Grammophon.
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“The fire and the underlying passion of Cuban music smoldered throughout the entire evening. (…) Nothing here was showy or overstated; everything came across as completely authentic.”
Mainpost, 17 October 2025
„Willis’s ever imaginative and skilful playing brings its own character to the variety of Cuban popular dance explored here.“
BBC Music Magazine, November 2024
„Sarah Willis’ desire to combine the incandescent character of these works with her unique vision of musicality has been fulfilled beautifully.“
El mundo clásico, 17. September 2024
PROJECTS 2026/27 – A SELECTION
Dates upon request
THE SARAHBANDA
The Sarahbanda’s program combines classical works and Cuban music into a stylistically distinctive, high-energy sound world. At its core is the idea of shaping traditional Cuban dance rhythms—son, mambo, guaracha, bolero, and guajira—through new arrangements in which the horn is organically integrated into the typical Cuban banda instrumentation.
The repertoire includes both iconic Cuban classics such as Sandunguera, Chan Chan, Pare Cochero, La Comparsa, and Guajira Sencilla, as well as original compositions by the musicians themselves, for example by Yuniet Lombida or Aylín Pino. These works are presented in contemporary, often subtly and imaginatively expanded arrangements that highlight the interplay between horn, saxophone, violin, piano, and percussion. The program is further enriched by newly reimagined versions of European works—including Mozart’s Romanza and Bizet’s Habanera—which are reinvented in a Cuban style without losing their melodic identity.
Dates upon request
CUBAN CHRISTMAS
With Cuban Christmas, the Sarahbanda presents an extraordinary holiday program that casts well-known international classics in a new, warm, and rhythmically pulsating light. Familiar Christmas melodies—from Jingle Bells and Silent Night to The Christmas Song—are intertwined with the rich tradition of Cuban dance music. Salsa, danzón, bolero, son, and mambo are not used as mere stylistic decoration; instead, they form the musical foundation into which the themes of the original works are woven.
Many arrangements originate from Sarahbanda’s close artistic circle, including Edgar Olivero and Jorge Aragón, who understand how to combine the characteristic colours of Cuban music with chamber music refinement. In addition, there are arrangements of classical works, such as a reimagined intermezzo from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite or an arrangement from Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, both of which take on a ‘Christmassy’ Cuban character without losing their Baroque structure.
“This is for those who want something different, and something hot.”
The Times, 18 December 2025
“You can’t sit still to this one.”
The Observer, 7 December 2025
“The Cuban Nutcracker Suite is not to be missed: ‘Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy’ is a touch of percussive genius.”
Gramophone, 9 December 2025
