El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, commonly known as El Gran Combo, is a Puerto Rican Salsa music orchestra. It is Puerto Rico's most successful musical group, and one of Salsa's most famous groups across Latin America. Since many of the genre's legendary singers have been members of the orchestra, the band has been given the moniker La Universidad de la Salsa (The University of Salsa) El Gran Combo was founded in May 1962,[1] by Rafael Ithier. Ithier is still, as of 2008[update], the orchestra's pianist and musical director.