Roniel Alfonso Mella is a Cuban music producer, orchestrator, composer, and instrumentalist born on December 8, 1974, in Matanzas, Cuba. In 1996, he entered Cuba's Escuela Nacional de Arte (ENA), where he graduated in 2000 with a specialization in guitar, tres, and ensemble conducting. During his time as a student, he performed with several ensembles, including Septeto Cohiba, Cuba Nueva, and Conjunto ChapottÃn y sus Estrellas.
Alfonso has built a career as an arranger and producer for prominent figures in Cuban and Latin music. He wrote the arrangements for the singer Gardi and produced Haila MarÃa Mompié's successful album Mala. Over the years, he has composed and arranged music for notable artists such as Omara Portuondo, Issac Delgado, Leoni Torres, YumurÃ, and Mario Rivera, and collaborated internationally with artists like Olga Tañón, Carlos Rivas, and Julio Vilchez.
As a solo artist and director, Alfonso performs timba, salsa, and son cubano, often fronting the orchestra Son del XXI. He officially launched this project with the album Roniel Alfonso Presenta el Son del XXI in 2017. Between 2018 and 2025, he released a steady stream of tracks—including "La Salsa Romántica de Cuba," "Naufragar en Ti," "Leila," and "Mala Suerte"—culminating in the 2025 album, Internacional.
