Festival Matamoroson 2023 Opened in Santiago de Cuba

The centrally located Plaza de Marte, in Santiago de Cuba, hosted the inauguration of the 2023 Matamoroson Festival, an event extended until May 9^th.

The opening gala, held this Friday, included the participation of groups Ecos del Tivolí, Orquesta Chepín Choven, and Rueda de Casino All Star and paid tribute to Adalberto Álvarez, recently deceased, who was a faithful exponent and defender of the genre in the Caribbean island and the world.

Rodulfo Vaillant, president of the organizing committee, exclusively referred to the Cuban News Agency that the event will reaffirm the status of Santiago de Cuba as a creative city in music, granted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) in 2021.

He stated that despite the complex circumstances of the Caribbean island, the meeting will exalt the city of Santiago as the cradle of son and will defend the best of the national sound scene.

The meeting program includes presentations in parks, squares, and theaters in the city, as well as a tres guitar player competition, a tribute in the Santa Ifigenia patrimonial cemetery to Francisco Repilado (Compay Segundo), Electo Rosell (Chepín) and Miguel Matamoros, the latter creator of the famous trio that was a global legend and whose date of birth is dedicated to the Day of Son Music, May 8^th.

The evening was attended by the Commander of the Revolution Ramiro Valdés, Vice Prime Minister of the Republic of Cuba, José Ramón Monteagudo, First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba in the province, Beatriz Johnson, its governor, and directors and representatives of culture in the territory.

This time, the Matamoroson pays homage to the figures of Tiburón Morales, Ignacio Piñeiro, Pacho Alonso, and Adalberto Álvarez.