Alfredo Triff, a violinist and composer entered the National Conservatory of Music in Havana at age seven, under the direction of Radosvet Bojadieff, a disciple of Enesco and Yankilevich.

During the 1970’s Triff was exposed to contemporary music trends from Europe and the U.S. and composed music combining avant-garde traditions and elements from the son montuno. Shortly after, Triff founded Arte Vivo, a group of four instrumentalist-composers, involved with the contemporary music scene in Havana. Arte Vivo worked together with composers such as Leo Brower, Luigi Nono, Werner Hanz, Tischenko and others who visited the island at the time.

In 1977, while attending the Superior Institute of Arts in Havana, Triff won first prize in a national violin competition and was trained by Bojadieff to go study in the Soviet Union. At the closing of the decade, Arte Vivo was chosen to play the Autumn of Warsaw, an international contemporary music festival in addition to other important engagements Eastern Europe.

Not happy with the socio-political situation in the island, Triff left Cuba for the U.S. in 1980. He ended up in New York, where he relocated. After contacting other Latin musicians, he got gigs with many of the well-known Charanga bands in the city.

By the mid 1980’s Triff was playing his own compositions, alternating with musicians of New York underground music scene. In 1985, he started a long collaboration with Kip Harahan, a well-known composer and record producer. He played with Eddie Palmieri and recorded his album Sueño. From 1988-1990, Triff became a violinist in Hanrahan’s band, collaborating until this day in albums such as Vertical Currency, Tenderness, Shadow Nights, Exotica and Deep Rumba, amongst others.

Throughout the early 1990’s, Triff played in New York and elsewhere, though music was not his main source of income. He composed his first opera An Homage to Oscar Wilde for soprano, baritone, and electric string quartet and an oratorio for mezzo-soprano, tenor and octet. Both were premiered at the Cameo Theater in Miami Beach to good reviews.

In the mid 1990’s Triff was invited to play his compositions different festivals in Sarasota, Florida and Mexico City. In 1996 he wrote Kolaborazion with Brazilian singer and poet Arnaldo Antunes (commissioned by Tigertail Productions). At the end of the 1990’s Triff toured with Deep Rumba, Hanrahan’s band throughout Europe and Japan.

Triff produced his first album, Mindtrances, for electric violin and soundscapes in 1999. Kip Hanrahan liked the sound and encouraged Triff to produce an album for his record label. When 21 Broken Melodies debuted in 2001 for American Clave, the Paris-based magazine Vibrations nominated the album "best new CD for 2001," and "one of ten best of 2001" at the Billboard.com.

Meanwhile, Triff recorded in Jack Bruce’s last album Shadows in the Air and performed with his touring band. Other collaborations included one of Brazil’s foremost dancers, Vera Salas and Brazilian composer Livio Tratenberg.

Subtropics Music Festival featured Triff as composer in 2003, with Boleros Perdidos, a song-cycle for voice, bass, drums, violin, congas and DJ. It premiered at the Bass Museum and at “Hoy Como Ayer,” an alternative space for popular and electronic music in Miami.

Triff debuted his trio, featuring Daniel Ponce on congas and Alex Berti on acoustic bass. Since 2004 they have throughout Miami gathering a following and critical acclaim. In October 2007, after 3 years in the studio, Boleros Perdidos, the CD, was finished under Triff’s new label dadaMiami.

Boleros’s band toured Sarasota and Saint Petersburg and launched the album at Hoy Como Ayer. In a few months the album has received a good deal of attention.

Triff is back in the studio, working on a project album for his trio, which should be ready by the spring of 2009.