Charanga del norte is a 12-piece UK-based Charanga band playing Cuban/Latin dance music - consisting of violins, flute, bass, piano, coro singers, timbales, guiro and congas.

Sue Miller (Charanga Del Norte Founder)

Sue Miller is a Professor of Music at Leeds Beckett University and is also a professional flute player and bandleader of Charanga del Norte. Sue obtained a PhD in Cuban flute improvisation in charanga performance at the University of Leeds in 2011 having studied previously at the Universities of Leeds and York.

Prior to her career in academia Sue Miller completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Jazz, Contemporary and Popular Music at Leeds College of Music in 1994 where she studied classical flute with Lis Parry, jazz improvisation with Bill Kinghorn, Indian music with Dharambir Singh and jazz piano with Nikki Iles. Inspired by Orquesta Aragón’s flute player Richard Egües, Sue set up the UK’s only full charanga orquesta ‘Charanga del Norte’ in 1998 and has performed with the band across the UK, including several Arts Council of England UK tours and performances at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall, and London’s Barbican Centre.

In April 2000 and 2001 Sue went to Cuba to study with her idol, Richard Egües in Havana and in 2006, 2007 and 2009 she returned to Havana to further her research and to perform with veteran charanga musicians there (Orquesta Sublime, Estrellas Cubanas, Orquesta Barbarito Diez).

In the USA Sue has guested with Charanga Soleil, Charansalsa and Orquesta Broadway in New York. An experienced professional arranger and musical director Sue has written large-scale arrangements and compositions for Charanga del Norte and for the Cuban Music Big Band line-up. Charanga del Norte continue to perform and have released a new album online and on vinyl entitled Pachanga Time.

PACHANGA TIME (Album Review)

“Pachanga Time” manages to bottle the fun and liveliness of a genre with tongue in cheek flair. It’s all here: piano, timbales, congas, güiro, strings deployed on a New York charanga repertoire that had the city sizzling back in the day. With its gorgeous retro cover art Pachanga Time feels like a crate- digger’s rare find.” - Jane Cornwell, Songlines

The Exciting Sound of New York & Cuban Charanga (Album Review)

"Top-notch music from one of England's leading Latin combos and the only 100 percent genuine charanga and pachanga band in the land.” The Beat