An Evening with Amaury Pérez, Full of Commitment to Culture

“Culture saved us and will save us,” said the prestigious composer, poet, guitarist, and singer Amaury Pérez Vidal this past Thursday. He was the featured guest of the first "Evening with..." event for the month of October.

In the crowded Salón de Mayo of the Pabellón Cuba, the national headquarters of the Hermanos Saíz Association (AHS), the multifaceted artist—also a record producer, writer, scriptwriter, and director and host for radio, stage, and television—shared details of his personal and professional life with the public.

The host of the event, Magda Resik, gave the author of "Acuérdate de Abril" the opportunity to share all those experiences that, stemming from an honest and open attitude toward all spectrums of creation, have made him a reference in trova, song, and contemporary culture within the Revolution.

Amaury had much to tell as someone who has explored different paths in life; however, he preferred to begin by recalling his identity as a writer. He remembered how, without yet possessing the craft of writing, he had the opportunity to be formally recognized as a writer by the Casa de las Américas, allowing him to commit his true feelings to black and white.

The son of two emblematic figures of Cuban television, Amaury Pérez García and Consuelito Vidal, he recounted that in 1963 he composed the anthem for his primary school, "Augusto César Sandino," and began—almost unconsciously—his work as a child actor in television programming.

Self-taught in music, he learned to play the guitar in 1968 and composed his first songs a year later. He defined his place within the so-called Movement of the Nueva Trova in 1971 after meeting Silvio Rodríguez, Pablo Milanés, Sara González, and Noel Nicola, to name just a few of its foundational pillars.

During that time, he mentioned his work included setting poems by Cuban authors like Nicolás Guillén, José Martí, Antonio Machado, and Miguel Hernández, among others, to music.

He emphasized that his songs based on texts by the Apostle of Cuban Independence, José Martí, as well as others, reveal his permanent interest in pairing his music with strong lyrics, rich with imagery and metaphors, which together always manage to create a show well-received by the public.

Ranked among the most successful artists of Cuban popular music, Pérez Vidal expressed that, besides being the author and interpreter of his repertoire, he has ventured into designing the scenographic scripts for his own concerts, executing them with absolute rigor to achieve a result worthy of his audience.

Hearing him speak makes one realize that Amaury has not lost that charisma and freshness that captivates his admirers, regardless of which of the artistic currents he has explored is considered the best.

The person behind anthems like "Hacerte venir," "Quisiera ser el viento," "Amor difícil," and "No lo van a impedir," confessed that he received much criticism early on for his voice. However, he was able to overcome it and never give up, discovering his talent in time and taking it all over Cuba and the world through fruitful tours.

“When I started singing,” he added, “my reference was Silvio Rodríguez, and from then on I was able to delve into musical genres like rock, ballad, disco, filin, pop, and others that I will never deny.”

Regarding his discography, he noted that much has already been said. Instead, he preferred to highlight his new album titled "Amaury Sinfónico," released in 2024, which features the choral direction, arrangements, and musical production and direction of Beatriz Corona.

Released by the record labels Colibrí and Fontanar Productions, and conceived from concert music, it was described as an audacious album. It features musicians from the National Symphony Orchestra and recognized Cuban personalities, including Silvio Rodríguez, Ernán López-Nussa, Rey Guerra, and Maestra Beatriz Corona herself.

Surrounded by a large audience, the endearing and approachable creator reserved a final reflection for the last minutes, alluding directly to his commitment to Cuba: “Art and culture—in the broadest sense of the word—play a fundamental role in safeguarding our nation; therefore, it falls to artists to become the mainstay of a country that holds them as its weapon.”