The chatter of intermission fades as a new band takes the stage at the Carolina Theatre of Greensboro to begin their warm-ups. Sonorous tones from the brass instruments usher the crowd of all ages to return to their seats inside the black box theater. The brick walls and columns evoke a mood that takes them back to the 1960s, ready to hear the legendary jazz musician Miles Davis himself, but this evening his music will be performed by UNC Greensboro’s Jazz Ensembles I and II.
Franco Romero signals his bandmates to begin their first set, his own arrangement of Davis’s 1961 classic “Teo.” When he rises for a solo, the audience listens, enraptured by the warm, powerful, lilting tones of his saxophone.
The evening’s air is crisp as Greensboro closes out a mild week that melted away all signs of the 10 inches of snow left by back-to-back winter storms. On stage, the skill of Romero and his peers settles any nerves of their professor, Dr. Thomas Heflin, who acknowledges to the audience how they lost two weeks of group rehearsals while the UNCG campus was closed. Judging from the applause after each solo, the weather’s interruption hadn’t soured their notes.
Romero is living his dream, playing his favorite type of music for an enthralled audience.
His history in music does not go back as far as the jazz king Davis, but his own musical story is off to an inspiring start, including a childhood fascination with jazz, work on a Grammy Award-winning album, a special meeting with a UNCG professor, and the generosity that brought him to the United States for college.
Dreams Set to a Jazz Tempo
Music runs in his family. As a child in Cuba, Romero grew up listening to his aunt, a cellist. According to his mother, when he was very young, he would cry whenever his aunt played a sad melody.
He tried a few instruments before finding his calling: “I started playing saxophone and knew that was where I really wanted to be,” he says.
He proved so talented that his tutors recommended he go to Alejandro Garcia Caturla Art School and then the Amadeo Roldan Conservatory for high school — institutions both named after Cuban composers.
While grateful for the teachers of his early years, connecting to professionals who could expand his skills proved difficult. Furthermore, most of the musical instruments available in Cuba were subpar. Then, in 2016, his school introduced the nonprofit-led program Horns to Havana. Finally, he and his classmates had access to better quality instruments and master classes from musicians from the United States.
“One of those I met was Chad Eby,” says Romero.
The award-winning saxophonist and composer sits on Horns to Havana’s educational council and teaches at the UNCG School of Music. Eby saw Romero’s potential and began looking for ways to bring him stateside.
“It’s always been a dream for a Cuban student to have the opportunity to study outside the country,” says Romero. “We are lovers of jazz and music in general, but the dream is to go out there and learn from the place where jazz originates.”
Romero practices with Eby.
Romero and Eby looked at schools in Florida and North Carolina. Then they found a donor who would pay for Romero’s first year of tuition to study jazz at UNCG. In 2022, Romero saw his dream take hold, “to come here, have a real education, and the opportunity to go to college.”
Romero’s American Dream
Over the past three years, Romero has experienced so much of the United States, traveling to other cities to share his sound with diverse audiences. While many performers aspire to build their careers in major cities like Los Angeles or New York, Romero has developed a deep appreciation for Greensboro’s hospitality and vibrant musical community.
“The people here are incredibly welcoming,” he says. “The area is beautiful, and the campus itself is just inspiring. Greensboro is a smaller city, and like many musicians, I often dream about experiencing bigger cities and bigger stages. But there’s something about Greensboro that keeps bringing me back. It’s a place that has truly become meaningful to me.”
The Best of Miles Davis
Romero, with the UNCG School of Music, celebrates Miles Davis’s centennial year this spring. They’ll pay tribute to more of his music throughout the semester with concerts at the Carolina Theatre on April 7 and May 7.
Learn about more incredible upcoming performances from the artists within UNCG’s College of Visual and Performing.
For Romero, the Gate City has also been a springboard. After hearing about scholarship opportunities offered by the Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation, he applied and was awarded the scholarship twice. It would cover half of his tuition for the following two years while his sponsor covered the remainder. The support allowed him to continue his studies and focus on developing his career as a musician.
He traveled as one of the Foundation’s ambassadors, including to Miami where he performed alongside friends from Cuba and renowned artists such as Sebastián Yatra and Elena Rose. He was invited to the 2025 Latin GRAMMY Awards in Las Vegas to perform in their Spotlight event dedicated to the legendary Cuban singer Celia Cruz.
Grammy Dream Come True
In Vegas, he got to see, hear, and meet some of the most influential figures in Latin music and some of his own personal idols: Alejandro Sanz, Susana Baca, Malena Burke, Lena Burke, Meme Solís, Bad Bunny, Rauw Alejandro, Karol G, and Emilio and Gloria Estefan, Ca7riel y Paco Amoroso, among many others.
“I was there the whole week,” says Romero. “Meeting artists, meeting producers, musicians, the whole industry in general.”
One of the most memorable moments for Romero was giving an award to Ivan Lins, one of Brazil’s most celebrated composers and songwriters, presented by the Latin Recording Academy in honor of Lins’s extraordinary contributions to Latin American music and culture. After the ceremony, Romero personally interviewed Lins, gaining insight into the legendary composer’s career, musical philosophy, and dedication to preserving his cultural roots.
The trip to Las Vegas also represented a full-circle moment, as before Romero got involved with Grammy events, he was already part of a Grammy-winning project. Before coming to UNCG, while still living in Cuba, Romero was one of the musicians who performed on Mendó, the album by Cuban-Canadian artist Alex Cuba. It went on to win Best Latin Pop Album in 2022.
“It’s always special to see your work recognized,” Romero says. “When you put so much passion into music, moments like that remind you why you chose this path.”
It’s always been a dream for a Cuban student to have the opportunity to study outside the country. We are lovers of jazz and music in general, but the dream is to go out there and learn from the place where jazz originates.
Franco Romero
Already soaring, always dreaming
Now entering his senior year at UNCG, Romero continues performing for audiences on campus and beyond, including recent shows at the School of Music. It’s also a moment of reflection for the young saxophonist, who carries with him the legacy of a deeply musical family, his Latin American roots, and the ever-evolving language of jazz.
Like Miles Davis, an artist who was never afraid to reinvent himself even after achieving success, Romero believes the journey of a musician is defined by exploration. For him, there are still many directions to pursue and many sounds left to discover.
For younger musicians and fellow School of Music students, his advice is simple: stay grounded in the fundamentals, seek opportunities to share your music, and learn from the mentors around you.
“Work hard and keep dreaming,” Romero says.
Story by Janet Imrick, University Communications
Photography Sean Norona, University Communications
