Interviews

After several attempts, we finally had the honor of speaking with NAMM’s Director of Member Services, Zach Phillips, who made room in his schedule to chat about all the work he and his team have been doing for NAMM, the educational part of the organization, and their annual event, The NAMM Show.

Zach’s Experience as a musician 

Before Zach shared everything related to NAMM, we wanted to learn a bit about his previous career as a musician. He made it very clear that he was a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and singer. Even though he now devotes most of his time to NAMM, he keeps writing songs, recording music, and releasing albums.

With regard to his favorite genres, he loves hip-hop, but the types of music he usually plays are Americana and folk rock—which, in his own words, are not quite as interesting or complex as salsa.

He was also part of a band called Zach and The Walkins, but the music he releases today is under his own name and distributed on Spotify and other streaming services.

The Origins of The NAMM Show and Its Mission 

On the subject of NAMM, Zach began by explaining that NAMM is a non-profit organization at the service of the music, the sound, and the entertainment industry. Its primary mission has been to strengthen the industry and promote music-making since its founding in 1901, meaning that it has celebrated its 125 years of having been created.

The organization was created by a group of piano retailers, and its first trade show took place in 1909. While the founders are no longer living, they left a legacy that is still carried on the shoulders of those who are taking the project forward today.

The association provides many services for its members, the largest being The NAMM Show. The 2026 edition had an attendance of more than 60,000 people, more than 1,600 exhibitors and nearly 5,500 brands. In essence, NAMM remains an association passionate about music and the strengthening of the industry, something Zach does not see much to change.

One of the key things The NAMM Show continues to promote is the opportunity to network and stimulate innovation in the industry. It is a platform to offer new products and help brands expand their market presence. It also features a very important educational component containing around 250 sessions and panels covering ideas, strategies, and practices aimed at improving attendees’ performance.

Why Zach Decided to join NAMM 

The reason why Zach decided to join NAMM was the mission it offered. Strengthening the industry and promoting music are two vital causes for the artist, who joined NAMM in 2012. Before that, Zach worked as a trade journal editor, which led him to connect with NAMM to lead professional development and educational programs. Since then, his role has evolved. Today, he oversees member programs that include networking, music industry history, and career management within the industry, among other areas.

The association provides education 365 days per year. One such tool is NAMM U Online, where those interested can access classes and articles on how to get better and better in the business. Similarly, it has sessions focused on teaching everything about music store inventory and using social media to promote the music business and brand marketing.

Another program is TEC TRACKS, where students can learn everything they need to know about mixing and audio engineering directly from prominent producers and artists who share their expertise.

The NAMM Show 

The 2027 NAMM Show will take place in four months, specifically, from January 26 to 30 next year. For this upcoming edition, Zach and the rest of the NAMM team have begun to meet into at the organization’s offices a month ago, but the funny thing is that they are already working on the 2028 edition 16 months in advance.

In other words, they are not only preparing for the upcoming show throughout the previous year, but they are also working on the next two trade shows simultaneously. On this subject, Zach stated the following:

“The planning process includes everything from engaging the brands to make the most of, of the show platform, to, you know, building out the education program by, by finding the most talented speakers and thought leaders, and also planning hundreds of events at the NAMM Show. It’s, it’s, it’s… It is more than a year-round effort. it’s a tremendous feat that we do. NAMM staff’s only about 45 people, but we’re working on this year-round because it’s a big event.”

Zach also told us that, from 2027, the Bass Magazine Awards will move to The NAMM Show and be hosted in the Convention Center Arena. NAMM is also collaborating with a group called Backline Talk, which will present its own awards at the show as well.

Obviously live music could not miss. The Bands At NAMM program gives groups and singers the opportunity to submit their applications to the association to be selected to perform during the event. The lineup for next year’s show has not been announced yet, so we will be waiting for those names.

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Buena Vista Social Club The Musical is a new Broadway musical entirely inspired by real facts that form part of the history of the iconic musical group Buena Vista Social Club, which took the world by storm in the 1990s.

It was inevitable that the ambition of this important chapter of Latin music would result in a tribute that introduces new generations to what this cultural phenomenon represented to so many around the world at the time. This is how was born the idea to create Buena Vista Social Club The Musical, a show that arrives on the stages to represent the events that led to the creation of one of the most iconic orchestras in Cuba and the rest of the continent.

How Buena Vista Social Club The Musical Begins 

This whole story began in 1996 with a recording made at EGREM studios in Havana, Cuba. Such material would end up becoming a global hit, which also resulted in an Oscar-nominated documentary and the rebirth of prominent names in Cuban music who, because of the lapse of time, had been forgotten.

Now, decades later, all those memories evoked by Buena Vista Social Club have finally found a way to return to life through the Cuban-American writer and playwright Marco Ramírez, who based his work on a dual-timeline structure that connects youth, adulthood and old age in the characters.

This project is the product of a desire to translate the spirit of the album created in 1997 to New York’s theatrical language. After hard work by the entire team involved, the play had its world premiere at the Atlantic Theater Company in 2023. At the time, the sale of tickets was extremely successful, and specialized critics praised the blend of live music, storytelling, and Afro-Cuban dance.

After having achieved numerous nominations and theater awards, the production started to make its way to Broadway, consolidating itself as one of the most ambitious Latin shows in New York.

Narrative Structure of the Musical

‘‘Buena Vista Social Club The Musical’’ is set in Havana in the 1950s and Havana in 1996. In the 1950s, the Cuban capital was enjoying its golden era of orchestras, nightclubs, and radio stations prior to Castro’s rise to power. In this period of time, the show includes topics such as youth, love, racism, and cabaret music.

1996 comes next with several veteran musicians who gather in a recording studio in Havana. There, the musical explores themes of forgiveness, reunion, nostalgia, redemption, and the immortality of art.

The story is largely based on the experiences of key figures such as Omara Portuondo, Compay Segundo, Ibrahim Ferrer, Eliades Ochoa, and Rubén González. These experiences were deeply tied to the political and cultural in Cuba underwent through the 1990s.

Repertoire Used in the Musical

One of the most important elements of the musical is its exquisite soundtrack, which accompanies the characters’ most significant moments. Among them is “Chan Chan,” performed by Compay Segundo. This son cubano song serves as the common thread for most of the story, evoking both the land and a journey simultaneously.

In the case of “Dos Gardenias” by Isolina Carrillo, it was originally a song to tenderness and hope inspired by a student of the pianist who gave her two gardenias as a thank you. In the show, it serves as background music to portray the melancholy of Ibrahim Ferrer’s brilliant performance.

“Veinte Años” by Omara Portuondo reflects the sadness of heartbreak, the nostalgia of fading affection, and the non-existent possibility to revive a past that is left behind forever. Lyrics more than fitting to reflect on the elapsed time and missed opportunities.

For those who want to dance and enjoy, songs such as “Candela” and “El Carretero” let the energy, dance, and percussion take the spotlight on stage.

Recent Changes

Last month, it was reported that American actress with Cuban roots Gina Torres will give life to Omara Portuondo from October 13 to November 29, 2026. The character’s original actress and Tony Award winner, Natalie Venetia Belcon, will be absent during this period due to her participation in the revival of ‘‘In The Heights’’.

For The artist, who is also widely known for her roles in Firefly and Suits, this project has a lot of meaning due to her parents’ origin. Torres noted that the character of Omara Portuondo and the repertoire she will perform represent a direct connection to her roots, her childhood, and the conception of home he learned as a girl.

It is important to mention that the actress not only gives a tremendous display of talent in television drama, but also possesses classical vocal training. She graduated from the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts and made her debut in the early 1990s.

With this incorporation, the team involved in Buena Vista Social Club The Musical aims to bring interpretive strength, elegance, stage presence, and dramatic depth to her role as Omara Portuondo.

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