Guitar Festival to begin in Cuba

Havana, Apr 14 (Prensa Latina) The Havana Guitar Festival, dedicated to promoting local guitar talents, is opening on Thursday under the auspices the National Concert Music Center.

The event will pay tribute to Ñico Rojas and Cesar Portillo de la Luz on their 100th birthdays, and will also celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding the New Song Movement (Nueva Trova).

The festival will close on April 17, and comprises a varied program of presentations, including the participation of outstanding Cuban musicians.

There is an extensive program of concerts that will take place at the Church of Paula, the Minor Basilica of the Convent of Saint Francis of Assisi, the Jose Marti National Library, the Cuban Music Institute and a number of community cultural centers.

Young and renowned artists will participate in the event, including Maestro Jesus Ortega, Luis Manuel Molina, Yalit Gonzalez, Mabel Gonzalez, Carlos Ernesto Varona, Rosalia Mosqueda and Rolando Macías, Joaquín Clerch, Yosniel Rivera and Elvira Skourtis.

Ensembles such as Concorda, Savarez and Contrastes represent the duet format, while other groups such as the Sonatas Habaneras Guitar Orchestra, the Ensemble Solistas and the Chamber Orchestra will also perform during the event.

According to organizers, one of the main attractions is the revival of a suite composed by Beatriz Corona, based on music by Silvio Rodriguez, and the versions for guitar and string orchestra by Ortega on pieces by Maestros Isaac Albeniz and Ernesto Lecuona.

The concert entitled “Guitar between two worlds” stands out in the program, under the direction of Abel Acosta, and will evoke pieces by Miguel Matamoros, Ñico Rojas, Sergio Vitier, Leo Brouwer and the Cuban trova.