Gala 'Maestro de Juventudes' to Open Jazz Plaza Festival with Rhythm and Love for Cuba

Frank Fernández Finalizes Details for Festival-Opening Gala
Virtuoso Cuban pianist and composer Frank Fernández is today putting the final touches on the Maestro de Juventudes (Master of Youth) gala, which will inaugurate the 41st International Jazz Plaza Festival this Sunday in Havana.

A Showcase for Emerging Talent
The opening event at the Avellaneda Hall of the National Theater reserves various surprises, including the presentation of a youth symphony orchestra composed of 105 musicians, according to exclusive statements by the artist to Prensa Latina.

"The main feature of the concert is that I am going to present the non-famous, young people with extraordinary talent who almost never appear in the media," he revealed.

Attendees will include students from arts schools, and the audience will be able to enjoy children playing and dancing rumba, in addition to a segment dedicated to the improvisation of Cuban country music (música campesina).

Essence of Jazz and Improvisation
"The essence of jazz, from an artistic point of view, is the freedom of the spirit through improvisation," he declared. "Sometimes the wonder of improvisation is lost, both in the world of rumba and in country or son music, and that is what I am going to present."

Joining these proposals on stage will be a 16-year-old youth who will perform a jazz improvisation and interpret a Bach prelude and fugue, the Cuban composer specified.

Multiple Orchestras and Special Guests
As if the surprises that night were not enough, several chamber orchestras will join the performance, including the Jazz Band of the Amadeo Roldán Conservatory and those from the provinces of Granma, Las Tunas, and Holguín.

Although he did not reveal much more, wishing to maintain a certain anticipation for the audience, he mentioned the participation of other well-known musicians, such as "my grand-nieces, the daughters of Daiana and Aldito López-Gavilán, and Los Hermanos Abreu."

A Concert Conceived in Complex Times
Maestro de Juventudes, he explained, refers to the convergence on stage of the most seasoned performers with the new generations—a spectacle he conceived in very complex times for the enjoyment of many.

"I thought about the joy of putting such valuable people on stage in tremendous times, of massive migration, stimulated by real problems and also by created falsehoods," he expressed.

Frank Fernández refuses to accept that everyone has left Cuba, as he loves to promote and focus on what the great majority does not perceive.

"I am sure those children are going to surprise a lot of people," he asserted.

A Message of Connection and Peace
Regarding the endurance and quality of the International Jazz Plaza Festival, even under such adverse circumstances, he stated: "The guests demonstrate that we are not isolated and that we wish to live in peace and with joy."

"We want to continue promoting our music, wherever there is a receptive ear," concluded the distinguished pianist and National Music Prize winner.