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Saturday July 5, 2025 at 7:30pm
Spend your Saturday night on Friends Field dancing to the electrifying rhythms of La Excelencia, New York City’s award-winning salsa dura band! Inspired by the sounds of the ’70s and the sociopolitical landscape of today, the 11-piece band seamlessly blends traditional salsa with a modern edge, delivering a high-energy, irresistibly danceable experience.
La Excelencia emphasizes hard-driving brass and percussion, just like a Fania Records band from salsa’s heyday in the 1970s. — Larry Rohter, New York Times
About La Excelencia
La Excelencia is an award-winning salsa band from New York City, known for merging the fiery rhythms of 70s salsa with a bold, contemporary edge that reflects today’s sociopolitical climate. Their music ignites both social consciousness and dance floors, offering a powerful, unapologetic soundtrack. “It takes just a note or two to hear that La Excelencia is different. This is raw salsa dura, with the percussion cranked up, sharp breaks, and vocals that are loud, even distorted. It’s the sound of a tough, working band—one that used to be a staple in New York and is now a rare find,” says Peter Watrous of The New York Times.
Formed in 2005 by composer and producer Julian Silva, La Excelencia honed their sound in NYC’s local venues before breaking into the international salsa scene with their 2006 debut album, Salsa Con Conciencia. “We set out to create songs that spoke to us personally, not realizing how widely they’d resonate,” recalls Silva. The success of their debut led to international tours and a series of impactful albums: Mi Tumbao Social (2009), Ecos Del Barrio (2012), and Machete(2020). Their music has been featured in films, TV shows, and compilation albums, and their electrifying live performances have attracted mainstream audiences well beyond the salsa community. “It felt like a rock show, not a salsa performance,” says longtime fan Anthony Guerrero.
Under the leadership and direction of Silva, La Excelencia continues to push boundaries, channeling their distinctive sound and energy while inspiring the next generation of salseros.
To learn more about La Excelencia, visit their website.
Know Before You Go
Summer Season Shuttle / Take the FREE shuttle from Metro North’s Katonah train station to and from Caramoor! The shuttle runs before and after every summer afternoon and evening concert. There is no RSVP to get on the shuttle, it will be there when you arrive (in the parking lot side of the station). If it’s not there, it’s just making the loop and should be back within 5–10 minutes. The shuttle will start running 2.5 hours before the concert, and 30 minutes after the concert ends.
Rain or Shine / All events at Caramoor take place rain or shine. In the case of inclement weather, this concert will move to our fully covered Venetian Theater tent. This is a large tent with open sides and seating already provided. You will no longer need to bring your own seating to the concert in this scenario.
