Rafael Moreno

Rafael Enrique Moreno Vega was born on February 1, 1983, in Panama City. He is the son of Rafael E. Moreno Pino and Elizabeth P. Vega de Moreno. A singer and songwriter, at the age of 5, he was already singing, but it was at the age of 8 that he began doing it more regularly at family parties, performing a repertoire of boleros, waltzes, and pasillos by artists such as Julio Jaramillo, Daniel Santos, Orlando Contreras, and others from the old guard that his parents and grandparents used to listen to.

At 17, he learned to play his first guitar chords with teacher Lucía Dorelis Pérez, although as a child, despite efforts by his uncle L. Raúl Moreno and his cousin Yira Castro to teach him, he did not like the instrument. During that time, he composed his first songs. That same year, 2000, he was hired for the first time by Professor Gilberto Campos and his group Rumba 5. A shy Rafael only sang the song "Conciencia" by composer Omar Alfanno twice during the night, as it was the only salsa song he knew.

In 2002, he auditioned for the group Contra Punto, was selected, and stayed with them until 2006. By then, the young singer had completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and Advertising, a Postgraduate Degree in Senior Management, and a Master’s Degree in Human Resources from Universidad del Istmo. He continued singing with the groups Laberinto, led by the Plano brothers, and Yaré, led by Professor Luis Thomas, while also working as a Cabin Crew Member for Copa Airlines.

In 2009, at the insistence of his mother and after preparing at the Panama Music Academy under the guidance of Professor Flor Morales, he auditioned for the reality show Vive la Música Live 2009. He was the first in line among the hopefuls thanks to his mother and his cousins Yunaira Tuñón and Irán Prestán (who arrived at the audition site almost 10 hours and 6 hours earlier, respectively) and became the first finalist of that season, which gained him significant popularity in Panama.

From there, opportunities in musical theater followed, where he has performed in over 10 musicals, touring the entire country with the company Top Line Events on several occasions. Examples include Aladino Jr. (as Aladdin), Beauty and the Beast (as Gaston), and more recently Manos de Piedra Durán, un KO Musical (2015), portraying the characters "Sergeant Guevara" and "Esteban de Jesús," under the direction of Juan Carlos Adames, where one of his songs, "Cuando yo me case," was selected as one of the musical’s themes.

In television, he has so far served as a presenter on El Reto Tipiquero, TVN Películas, Buenos días, Buenos días KIDS, and Proyecto Estrella. He has also acted in the short film "El Ratón Pérez" (R. Pérez), and the Panamanian telenovela "Una Maid en Paitilla" (as Salvador).

In the film world, he has had the opportunity to participate in short roles in the dubbing of the animated movies The Secret Kingdom (2011), How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2012), and in the short film Canal Stories (2014).

In the music field, in 2010, he released his first single, "Antítesis," which was the theme song for the Panamanian telenovela Amor en Custodia. In 2011, together with Kako Nieto, he formed the group Fusión RK, releasing the single "Quiero Ser" by Cuban Osmani Espinosa, who won the Premios lo Nuestro 2016 with another production. Since then, and to date, he has taken singing lessons with professor Carlos Tovar.

In mid-2011, he decided to definitively venture into the salsa genre, joining Ricky Sánchez's Orquesta Sociedad Anónima as a singer, a group that includes Carlos Pérez-Bido and Avenicio Nuñez (winners of the Latin and American Grammy with the production Son de Panamá). In November, he recorded the song "Para conquistar tu amor" by Puerto Rican Luis Peña. This song was the first single from the group’s new production, followed by songs like "Bueno es culantro pero no tanto" by Ricky Sánchez and Luis Peña in 2013, and "Fiera Infiel" (which he wrote) on November 28 of the same year. One month later, he married journalist and news presenter Guadalupe Castillero at Santiago de Veraguas Cathedral after a year of civil marriage.

In November 2015, he released his first solo album titled "Real," produced at PTY Studios (Latin and American Grammy winners with "Son de Panamá") with songs he wrote, including tracks like "Mamá," "Mi Guía," "Ana," and "El centro de mi mundo," dedicated to his family. Months earlier that same year, he joined ASCAP (an American collective management organization) as a composer.

In April 2016, together with Orquesta Sociedad Anónima, he released the album "15 años," where he was the Executive Producer of 5 tracks, 3 of which were written by him, including a duet with salsa singer Tony Vega. This album was also recorded at PTY Studios and features Ricky Rodríguez, a renowned Puerto Rican pianist and arranger, among its producers. By October, Rafa embarked on a new and interesting project, Real Music Publishing, "We have your next hit | We have your next hit," his own music publishing company to manage the copyrights of his songs and offer them to other performers.

On January 5, 2017, the single "Te voy a amar" was released, performed by Tavo Flores y los Tipiqueros, marking the first of his compositions recorded by another artist. With the aim of helping colleagues and young prospects to understand essential aspects of the music business, he created the seminar Música Total, which, in his own words, "is not everything, but it is a light on the path!"

In November 2017, a new project was announced in which he participates as an advisor, songwriter, and improviser for the Panamanian salsa singer Victor Jaramillo, and months earlier, he was appointed as a member of the board of directors of PANAIE, a collective management organization that protects the rights of Panamanian musicians. By January 2018, the song "La Barbie," written by him and performed by Kako Nieto, a singer of Panama's Urban Tipico genre, was released. The following month, Rafa was introduced as the new face of the program Oye la Clave, broadcast by SERTV in Panama. On April 23, 2018, the second version of the song "La Barby" was released internationally, this time performed by the Grammy-winning Panamanian band Los Rabanes.

In 2019, Rafa was part of the morning talk show Un sorbito de Café, broadcast by SERTV Panama, which was nominated for best morning program by various associations that evaluate Panamanian television content. That same year, he completed his Master’s Degree in Higher Education Teaching at the Universidad Interamericana de Panamá.

In 2020, Rafa began his studies at Berklee College of Music. Throughout his career as a student at this institution, Rafa had the opportunity to share the stage with stars like Gilberto Santa Rosa, Eguie Castrillo, Tony Succar, Usher, and Andrés Cepeda. He also won the Mili Bermejo scholarship in 2022, awarded to outstanding students in the voice department, and received other recognitions for his academic performance from the contemporary writing department.

On May 13, 2023, Rafa Moreno completed his studies at the prestigious Berklee College of Music, where he earned a degree in Contemporary Writing (Musical Arrangements) and Production, with the distinction of Summa Cum Laude. The following week, he recorded his first solo album in the salsa genre, titled Album 1, which will be available on all digital platforms on November 1.

Currently, Rafa is a Music Appreciation and Music Technology teacher at Warren Prescott School, Director, lead singer, and arranger of Stephen Whitney's group Vibra Tropical, as well as an occasional singer and arranger for other groups in the Massachusetts area.

Stay tuned because Rafa Moreno's career is just beginning.

Awards

Mili Bermejo Scholarship at Berklee College of Music 2022.

https://www.berklee.edu/berklee-today/spring-2018/scholarships

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