havana! - Visit Cuba

what’s on
havana
mar
!
2014
Dancers from Danza Contemporánea de Cuba
perform Demo-n/Crazy at the Teatro Mella,
February 2014. Photo by Alex Mene
editorial
Cover photo by Alex Mene showing X
Alfonso performing at the Havana World
Music Festival, February 8, 2014.
This issue has put front and center the Fábrica de Arte Cubano (F.A.C.) and the Alfonso family, which has been
instrumental in realizing this remarkable project. Opened in February 2014, this is a meeting-place where
the best of the island’s avant-garde arts can be enjoyed under the same roof. Go see for yourself —it is open
Thursday
through Sunday from 8pm to 4am.
We have included a profile of Wendy Guerra, one of Cuba’s very best literary talents as well as a review of
Conducta: Ernesto Daranas’ brilliant new movie.If you haven’t seen it yet try and see it in a Cuban movie
theatre—it is playing all across town to rapt audiences.
Thanks to María del Pilar Rubí for sharing her work titled ‘I Invite You to My House’ which is a visually compelling
body of work documenting the daily lives of several ordinary families living in a large building along the Malecón.
From last month we have featured Auntie Flo & Zim Fox who performed as part of the inaugural Havana World
Music Festival as well as Danza Contemporanea’s Demo-n/Crazy.
Lydia Bell takes us inside Havana’s burgeoning Food Revolution from the inside out. From where to eat to how
the new restaurant entrepreneurs source the food, this may just be the definitive food guide to Cuba’s buzzing
capital city.
There are plenty of events to keep you busy this month from the ongoing Festival de Música Antigua Esteban
Salas to the Love & Peace Festival and the Fiesta del Tambor Guillermo Barreto. Don’t miss Art Attack —Stainless
vs. The Merger at Galería Galiano and Just after Cuba at Fototeca de Cuba. And whatever you do, don’t forget
to buy flowers on International Women’s Day (March 8).
March 2014 Highlights
•
Festival de Música Antigua Esteban Salas: March 1-22
•
Love & Peace Havana Festival: March 5-8
•
Buena Fe: March 7-8
•
Premiere of Celeste by the Ballet Nacional de Cuba: March 7-8
•
Fiesta del Tambor Guillermo Barreto: March 11-16
Thanks to all of our contributors, sponsors, partners and readers. Do please keep providing us with your
feedback, comments and suggestions.
All the best. Viva Cuba!
march 2014
havana culture
Guide
Photo by María del Pilar Rubí of girls enrolled in a
Flamenco school in Old Havana
Visual arts p5
Photography p8
Dance p10
Music p13
Theatre p24
For Kids p26
Not to miss during March 2014
Tue
Wed
3
10
17
24
31
Festival de Música
Antigua Esteban Salas:
March 1-22
Time for a round of golf
@ Diplo Club. Plenty of
rum & cigars of the 19th
hole.
Premio y Coloquio
Internacional de
Musicología March
17-21
Encuentro
Internacional de
Academias de Ballet
March 24 April 7, 2014
A day of rest and
relaxation – smoke a
Big Fat One and take
the day off.
4
11
18
25
1
Art Attack. Stainless vs. Fiesta del Tambor
The Merger @ Galería
Guillermo Barreto:
Galiano, through March March 11-16
15
Take the stress out of
your day with lunch at
Atelier – an ocean of
calm with great food.
XI Festival de Música
de Cámara March
25-29
Madonna performing
with Bill Clinton in
Plaza de la Catedral
@ 6pm
5
12
19
26
Love & Peace Havana
Festival: March 5-8
Gerardo Alfonso @ El
Diablo Tun Tun, 5pm
Dinner at El Litoral, one
of Havana’s best new
restaurants – watch life
pass by on Malecón.
Lunch at Iván Chef
Justo, Havana’s most
imaginative food. Qva
Libre @ Café Cantante
Mi Habana, 5pm
Geo-Gráfica @ Galería
L, through March 28
Thu
Fri
13
20
27
Festival de música de
concierto A Tempo con
Caturla, Santa Clara,
March 6-9
Just after Cuba @
Fototeca de Cuba,
through March 14
V Taller Danza
en Construcción,
March 20 to 31, 2014,
Manzanillo
Dinner & drinks at El
Cocinero, Havana’s
best industrial chic
alfresco rooftop
7
14
21
28
Buena Fe @ the Karl
Marx: March 7-8
Las lágrimas no hacen
ruido al caer featuring
Monse Duany @
Bertolt Brecht, 8.30pm
(Fri-Sun): March 7-23
Antigonón, un
contingente épico
@ Teatro Trianón,
8.30pm (Fri, Sat & Sun)
Dinner at Santy,
Jaimanitas’s off the
beaten track world class
sushi restaurant.
8
15
22
29
International Women’s
Day – Buy flowers!
Terry Fox’s Marathon
of Hope @ Outside
Capitolio in Havana
Sombrisas by Danza
Contemporánea de
Cuba @ Teatro Mella,
March 22-24
Concert as part of the
National Chamber
Music Festival @
Basílica Menor de San
Francisco de Asís, 6pm
Premiere of Celeste by
the Ballet Nacional de
Cuba: March 7-8
Possible Impossible by
Retazos: March 7-8
Sat
Love & Peace Havana
Festival @ Parque
Metropolitano: 6pm2am
Sun
Frank Delgado @
Teatro Mella, 8.30pm
6
Fragmentos de infinito
by David Beltrán @
Fototeca de Cuba,
through March 14
Manolito Simonet y su
Trabuco @ Casa de la
Música de la Habana
Cuerda Viva Festival
@ Teatro Karl Marx,
March 22-23
9
16
23
30
En Buena Compañía
@ Carpa Trompoloco,
4pm & 7pm
Máquina de la
Melancolía @ El
Sauce, 5pm onwards
Tarde en la siesta by
Ballet Nacional de
Cuba, March 22-23
Jazz at Privé Lounge,
10.30pm
Jazz at Privé Lounge,
10.30pm
En Buena Compañía
@ Carpa Trompoloco,
4pm & 7pm
Sueño de una noche
de verano by Grupo
de teatro El Arca @
Sala El Arca, 3pm
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Tue
Wed
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Sat
Sun
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4
Visual Arts
Intaglios by Mario Sánchez
Edificio de Arte Cubano. Museo Nacional de
Bellas Artes, Through March 23, 2014
For the first time in Cuba, 30 intaglios (cut, carved
and painted wood) by painter Mario Sánchez will
be exhibited here. Mario Sánchez was lapelled by
Folk Art Magazine the most important folk artist
in the US during the 29th century. Born in Key
West in 1908, of a Cuban father, Sánchez reflected
in his scenes the everyday life and the human
and spiritual diversity of that city, as well as and
a profound humanistic view. Composed by pieces
from private collections and from the Old Island
Restoration Foundation, this exhibition is the first
exchange between Cuban and American museums
in over 50 years.
Veinte años: luces y sombras
Centro Hispano-Americano de Cultura,
Through March 11
On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the
Conjunto de Música Antigua Ars Longa (Ars Longa
Early Music Ensemble), 20 renowned cuban
artists have gotten together to pay tribute to
these musicians through their art: Diana Balboa,
Orlando Barroso, Amelia Carballo, Roberto Chile,
Nelson Domínguez, Roberto Fabelo, Flora Fong,
Isavel Gimeno, Sandor González, Carlos Guzmán,
Alicia Leal, Manuel López Oliva, Juan Moreira,
Ileana Mulet, Pedro Pablo Oliva, Cosme Proenza,
Zaida del Río, Ernesto Rancaño, Ángel Ramírez,
José Rodríguez Fuster, Eduardo Roca (Choco),
Raúl Santos Serpa, José Omar Torres, Julia Valdés,
Lesbia Vent Dumois and José Villa Soberón.
Dios los cría
Factoría Habana Throughout February
Curated by Cuban artist René Peña and by Concha
Fontenla, the exhibition includes visual, artistic,
social and documentary materials spanning from
the 1950s to the 1970s, as well as a selection of
works by contemporary artists. The exhibition
aims to question the view of curators as the
being that has to make critical judgments and
differentiate what is good and bad. The artists
of this group show are Adrián Fernández, Aimée
García, Alfredo Ramos, Amilkar Feria, Arién Chang
Castan, Cirenaica Moreira, Duniesky Martín,
Eduardo Hernández, Eduardo Muñoz, Glenda
León, Jenny Brito, José Ángel Toirac, Marta María
Pérez Bravo, Pepe Menéndez, Raúl Cañibano,
Reinier Nande, Reynier Leyva Novo and Rodney
Batista. Artists René Peña, Elisabetta Alé and Hilda
María Rodríguez will lecture on the topic “Before
and after. Autobiographical
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5
Visual Arts
Art Attack. Stainless vs the
Merger
Galería Galiano, Through March 15
Art Attack. Stainless vs the Merger exhibits the
most recent production of the groups Stainless
(Alejandro Piñeiro Bello, José G. Capaz Suárez
and Roberto Fabelo Hung) and The Merger (Mario
Miguel González, Niels Moleiro Luis and Alain Pino)
with very diverse sculptures and installations.
Posada, perfil de una época
Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes
Throughout March
An exhibition in tribute to José Luis Posada (19292002), contains 70 pieces in various techniques by
this excellent Spanish draftsman and caricaturist
who carried out prolific work, especially for the
press in Cuba.
El alma desnuda
Biblioteca Pública Rubén Martínez Villena,
Through March 23
The drawings and paintings exhibited in El alma
desnuda by Ernesto García Peña, confirm the
artist’s mastery of brushstrokes, the use of light
and transparency in a delicate and suggestive
eroticism.
Geo-Gráfica
Galeria L of the Faculty of Economy of the
University of Havana, at Calle L, entre 21 y
23, El Vedado.Through March 28
Geo-Gráfica, diseñadores cubanos del mundo is an
unprecedented initiative of young Cuban designers
who live outside Cuba. The exhibition shows the
work carried out by them along with works for the
international market made by designers living in
Cuba. The show includes editorial design, logos,
advertisements, videos, interior design, illustration
and packaging.
For more information see https://www.facebook.
com/events/1434404043447251/
visitcuba.com
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6
Visual Arts
Casa Oswaldo Guayasamín
March 21-28
Exhibition by artists from the city
of Riobamba in Ecuador, with
paintings on canvas, paper and
bamboo. The artists will lecture on
the techniques and material they
use for their works, as well as on
symbolic characters of the region.
Galería Espacio Abierto
Through
March 28
Centro de Desarrollo de las Artes Visuales
Through
March 7
Through
March 7
Through
March 7
Cómo es lo que es… combines the
work and perspectives of artists
Osvaldo González Aguiar and
Francisco Alejandro Vives (Jim),
and establishes differentiated
approaches to the pictorial
processes.
Como te cuento mi cuento II,
exhibition by Guillermo Rodríguez
Malberti, who says he is “obsessed
by the historical theme, or, rather,
the ways in which history finds
sensorial archetypes that manage
to condense the meaning of
significant historical events from
which personal experiences are
organized.”
In Sala discontinua, artists Celia
& Yunior and Ricardo Miguel
Hernández invite viewers to
understand the present through
past events by way of documents
from the late 19th and early 20th
centurites, such as dedicated
postcards, passports, seals,
property deeds and letters of
transferal of slaves.
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In Tres partes para un diálogo,
young artists Aluan Argüelles,
Hander Lara, Ernesto Domecq,
Manuel Hernández Cardona and
Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara use
paintings, drawings, photography,
video art, graffiti and installations
to explore the relation between
their roles as artists, the context
and the viewers.
Galería Villa Manuela
Throughout No perder la tabla by the painter
March
Gilberto Frómeta is an exhibition
of abstract art with incursions into
matter painting.
Palacio de Lombillo
Opens
March 7
Opening of Diálogo, an exhibition
bu the artist José Ángel Báez, who
carries out a “conversation” with
one of the greats: Petrus Paulus
Rubens.
Salón Del Monte. Hotel Ambos Mundos
March-April
El Viejo y el mar, group show
in which 13 artists, mostly
illustrators, pay tribute to
Ernest Hemingway on the 89th
anniversary of the opening of the
Ambos Mundos Hotel where the
writer lived for some time.
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photography
Fragmentos de infinito
Fototeca de Cuba
Through March 14
In the words of artist Glenda León, “David Beltrán’s
new photographs…are fragments of reality, which
he—changing the scale, the angle or the direction—
has emptied of content, of history…Therefore,
these images have lost all connection with their
original realities remaining only the essential
part that always has an invisible element which is
beyond these fragments: it lies within each viewer’s
capability to expand something.”
Just after Cuba
Fototeca de Cuba, Through March 14
Bradley Narduzzi Rex and Adrian Mealand Workman
visited Cuba in 2010 to lay the groundwork for
an unusual conceptual creation. This is the Cuba
where history is overruled by contradiction, where
mythology warns of unnoticed invasion, where
life succumbs to encryption and where the future
lays hidden in the shadows of the past.
Each of the 30 works provides the viewer with
an altered perspective on contemporary life
in Cuba. A fusion of external concepts with
traditional scenarios, forces a welcome escape
from persistent stereotypes, generating an
updated vocabulary, one that facilitates fresh
interpretation of the Cuban experience.
La luz en 2 miradas
Quinta de los Molinos
Throughout March
Photographs by Laura M. Bártulos Broche and José
A. Rey Rodríguez.
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8
Photo by Alex Mene
March 20-30, 2014
Universidad de las Artes (ISA), La Habana
www.isa.cult.cu
V Festival de las Artes
by Victoria Alcalá
Organized by Cuba’s University of the Arts (ISA),
this art festival includes theater, exhibition,
audiovisual screenings, competitions, lectures,
master classes, demonstrations and workshops
aimed at promoting the work of young artists;
creating opportunities for a dialogue between
writers and artists of different manifestations,
training and origins; and showing the teaching
process of students and graduates from the
University of the Arts, conservatories and
academies of the artistic educational system both
in Cuba and in universities and art schools abroad.
Participants include Cuban and international
artists under 35 years of age with individual or
group projects which have been accepted by the
Organizing Committee.
The Festival is divided into two main events:
Musicalia (music in any format or genre and
interdisciplinary
projects),
Elsinor
(stage
production, dramatized readings, performances,
public interventions and video-installations),
Marcapasos (contemporary dance, ballet, folklore
and interdisciplinary projects), Imago (fiction
films, documentaries, animated films, music
videos, spots/trailers, one-minute shorts, radio
shows, scripts), Expo-ISA (visual art projects of
all kinds of expressive means and techniques and
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interdisciplinary projects) and Jornada del Joven
Restaurador (papers or posters on conservationrestoration of tangible cultural heritage,
challenges faced by museology, Cuban intangible
heritage and Cuban cultural heritage management;
also a painting competition and a photography
competition on Cuban national heritage).
The Elsinore Theatre Festival has been held in
Cuba every year for over 30 years. The staging
of plays in theaters and open spaces, set design,
dramatic texts, criticism and research related to
the world of theater are part of the activities that
take place during the festival. This is a showcase
for young Cuban playwrights (there is an age limit
of 35), and an opportunity for them to reach a
wider public, to experiment with new works and
to collaborate with old alumni from the University
of the Arts (ISA).
Venue: Universidad de Las Artes
(ISA), Calle 120 No. 1110, entre 9
y 13, Cubanacán, La Habana
Phone: +53 7 219771
For more information:
[email protected]
www.isa.cult.cu
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ballet
Annabelle López Ochoa,
choreographer of Celeste
Celeste & Triad – World
Premiers
Sala Avellaneda. Teatro Nacional
March 7-8, 8 pm; March 9, 5 pm
The premiere of Celeste, choreographed by
Belgian-Colombian Annabelle López Ochoa with
music by Chaikovski, by the Ballet Nacional de
Cuba, will bring to the stage one of the greats of
the company and world ballet: Viengsay Valdés,
who will be accompanied by Yanela Piñera, Grettel
Morejón, Jessie Domínguez, Mónica Gómez,
Alfredo Ibáñez, Víctor Estévez, Arián Molina, Miguel
Anaya, Gian Carlos Pérez and Lyvan Verdecia.
Meanwhile, the other premiere, Triade, by Cuban
choreographer Eduardo Blanco with music
by Rossini, will have Chanell Cabrera, Cynthia
González and Gabriela Mesa in the main roles. The
programa also includes Prólogo para una tragedia
based on Shakespeare’s Othello, choreographed by
Brian McDonald with music by Bach, with Amaya
Rodríguez, Anette Delgado, Yanela Piñera, José
Losada, Camilo Ramos, Víctor Estévez and Arián
Molina in the principal roles; and Suite generis,
choreographed by Alberto Méndez with music
by Händel and Haydn) with Anette Delgado, Dani
Hernández, Alfredo Ibáñez and Grettel Morejón,
Camilo Ramos, Miguel Anaya alternating in the
main roles.
Tarde en la siesta
Sala Avellaneda. Teatro Nacional
March 22, 8 pm; March 23, 5 pm
The Ballet Nacional de Cuba announces a concert
program made up by ballets with music by Cuban
composers: Tarde en la siesta (choreographed by
Alberto Méndez, music by Ernesto Lecuona), A
la luz de tus canciones (choreographed by Alicia
Alonso, music by Ernesto Lecuona, Orlando de la
Rosa and Adolfo Guzmán), Flora (choreographed
by Gustavo Herrera, music by Sergio Vitier) and
Impromptu Lecuona (choreographed by Alicia
Alonso, music by Ernesto Lecuona
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modern dance
Sombrisas
Danza Contemporánea de Cuba
Teatro Mella, March 22-23, 8:30pm; March
24, 5pm
Danza Contemporánea de Cuba presents
Sombrisas by choreographer Itzik Galili, and
Identidad a la (-1) by George Céspedes.
‘Another slice of artily lit square-bashing from Itzik
Galili. The ensemble is dressed with exemplary
Cuban thrift in black shorts, dress shirts, bow ties
and black leather boxing-gloves, which made it
all very suggestive of a staff punch-up after an
unusually fraught municipal banquet.’
Extract from a review of Sombrisas, June 2012
Posible imposible
Danza Teatro Retazos
Sala Teatro Las Carolinas
March 7 & 8, 7pm
Possible Impossible takes off from a landscape
where the known laws of time, space and power
have ceased to be valid. Imagine an associative
world of magic, dreams and absurd impressions,
where one dream relieves the next, and you fall,
fly and balance between reality and fantasy. In
this surprising world of dreams the door opens to
other universes, where the mind is free and the
impossible becomes possible.
Concert Program
Centro Prodanza
Teatro Miramar
March 7 & 8, 8:30pm; March 9, 5pm
Tiempo a destiempo (choreographed by the
Spanish Víctor Rodrigo); Mambo, Juntos, Dos, BB
and A Retazos (by the company’s choreographer
and maître Héctor Figueredo Abrantes); Sensemayá
y Bandoneón (choreographed by Iván M. Alonso);
and Majísimo (choreographed by Jorge García and
music by Jules Massenet).
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11
Dance Workshops
V Taller Danza en
Construcción
Centro de Promoción de las Artes
Escénicas, Manzanillo
March 20 to 31, 2014
Under the theme of “Dance: breaking old borders”,
this event has been created as an analytical
workshop on the bases of cross-disciplinary
approaches that are exploring and emancipating
current dance trends. All artists and art students
(dancers, choreographers, performers, video
artists, observers, managers…) having an interest
in research and choreographic annotation are
welcome to participate in the aim of updating the
role of theory in the practice of dance.
Encuentro Internacional
de Academias de Ballet
Gran Teatro de La Habana y Escuela
Nacional de Ballet (La Habana)
March 24 April 7, 2014
Organized for the first time in 1993, this
International Meeting of Ballet Academies has
made it possible for dancers, teachers and
students to become familiar with the technical and
stylistic peculiarities of the Cuban School of Ballet
through workshops, courses, and methodological
and master lessons. Similarly, dancers and
pedagogues from other countries have conveyed
their experiences in a fruitful exchange with their
Cuban colleagues.
Workshop “Como tres en
un zapato”
Matanzas, 3-10
As an experience prior to the National Choreography
and Interpretation Competition DANZANDOS, to
be held in October 2014, the Danza Espiral Company
has organized this workshop as an opportunity for
exchanging experiences aimed at researching on
choreography and offering young choreographers
tools for making intelligent and revolutionary
works. The workshop will be conducted by the
young dancers and choreographers Sandra Ramy
and Lubien Mederos, and will also include lectures
by experts on the subject.
visitcuba.com
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page 12
jazz
Calle 88A No. 306 e/ 3ra y 3ra
A, Miramar. +53 (07) 209-2719
Privé Lounge
Sundays from 10:30pm
Privé Lounge combines comfort, quality music, and a chill atmosphere brilliantly. It’s snug – the stage
accommodates a trio comfortably, a quartet if the musicians squeeze in a lo cubano – but design elements
like drop down noise- and echo-dampening panels mean it has terrific audio, plus the musicians who
play here (Harold López-Nussa; Oliver Valdés; Aldo López-Gavilán) are among the country’s best.
Café Jazz Miramar (Cine Miramar)
Calle 5ta esquina a 94, Mirama,r Playa.
Opens 2pm - Shows: 10:30pm - 2am - Cover: 50.00 MN or CUC 2.00
This new jazz club has quickly established itself as one of the very best places to hear some of Cuba’s
best musicians jamming. Forget about smoke filled lounges, this is clean, bright – take the fags outside.
While it is difficult to get the exact schedule and in any case expect a high level of improvisation when
it is good it is very good. A full house is something of a mixed house since on occasion you will feel like
holding up your own silence please sign! Nonetheless it gets the thumbs up from us.
Asociación Cubana de Derechos de Autor Musical
mar 20
6 pm
Proyecto de Jazz Cubano with Alexis
Bosch (piano).
UNEAC
mar 13
2 pm
Jazz Café
mar 1
10 pm
César López (sax player and
composer) and Habana Ensemble
Somavilla (15 y H, El Vedado)
Peña La Esquina del Jazz hosted by
showman Bobby Carcassés.
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mar 13
2 pm
Zule Guerra (sinfer and composer)
and Blues d’Havana. (admission
free)
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bolero & son
Asociación Cubana de Derechos de Autor Musical
mar 29
6 pm
Get-together with trovador
Manuel Argudín, who sings both
traditional songs to the most
recent trova.
Asociación Yoruba de Cuba
Fridays
Folkloric group Obiní Batá.
8 pm
Saturdays
Folkloric group Los Ibellis.
Performance by the folkloric group
Yoruba Andabo.
Café Cantante, Teatro Nacional
Thursdays
Elaín Morales.
5 pm
Saturdays
6 pm
10 pm
mar 8
7 pm
mar 28
5 pm
Saturdays
9 pm
Waldo Mendoza, one of Cuba’s
most popular singers today.
Performances by the popular
singer-songwriter Frank Delgado
with his ironic view of society.
A bolero puro, show with the
performances of singer Rafael
Espín and guests
mar 1
mar 30
5 pm
Rock/folkloric band Síntesis
3 pm
mar 8,
Fridays
9:30 pm
5 pm
Fridays
Casa del Alba
5 pm
7 pm
mar 27
6 pm
El Jardín de la Gorda with the
performances of trovadores from
every generation.
An informal meeting with the
versatile contralto Ivette Cepeda,
who has been much celebrated
thanks to the subtleties she brings
to her voice and her wide repertory
of Cuban and international music.
Mundito González is one of the
most popular Cuban bolero singers.
Pabellón Cuba
3 pm
mar 7
Performance by the duet Ad
Libitum.
Hurón Azul, UNEAC
Fridays
Folkloric group Obiní Batá
Performance by Yeni Sotolongo,
a young singer who boasts an
exceptional voice and varied
repertoire.
Hotel Telégrafo
10 pm
Casa de África
Peña La Juntamenta, with
trovadors Ángel Quintero, Benito
de la Fuente and Tato Ayress
Centro Iberoamericano de la Décima
mar 8
mar 1
Peña with Marta Campos,
renowned singer of contemporary
songs with a trova feel to them.
Centro Cultural Fresa y Chocolate
Café Teatro Bertolt Brecht
mar 29
Get-together with trovador Ireno
García.
Casa de la Cultura de Plaza
3 pm
Café Concert El Sauce
Fridays
5 pm
5 pm
Cabaret Las Vegas
4 pm
mar 30
Casa Memorial Salvador Allende
4 pm
Saturdays
Casa de la Cultura Comunitaria Mirta Aguirre
Peña Tres Tazas with trovador
Silvio Alejandro
Peña Tres Tazas with trovador
Silvio Alejandro
With his beautiful and powerful
voice, Eduardo Sosa and guests
perform highlights of the best
Cuban trova of all time.
Piano bar Tun Tun
Peña El Canto de Todos, with
singer-songwriter Vicente Feliú,
one of the founding members of
Cuban Nueva Trova.
Sala Avenida
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Thursdays
Peña with trovador Ray Fernández.
5 pm
mar 16
3 pm
The musical project Radio
Enciclopedia and its Musicians
will present the clarinetist, sax
player and composer Javier Zalba.
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modern fusion
Buena Fé
Teatro Karl Marx
March 7-9, 8:30pm
In their performances, this popular duo combines
the lyricism of Cuban trova with the explosive and
communicative force of rock-pop.
The trova influences are present in all their lyrics,
which contain thoughts about the contemporary
life, with contemporary sonority, allowing
arrangements that makes each song fit in many
Cuban genres, with influences from pop and rock.
They make fusion music based in the trova style;
and, while having pop tendencies, they use other
styles and influences as well, which allows them to
present more elaborate ideas.
Gerardo Alfonso
El Diablo Tun Tun
March 5, 12, 19, 26, 5pm
Singer-songwriter Gerardo Alfonso, whose songs
range from social comment to ballads and songs
in praise of national heroes, combines traditional
Cuban genres such as trova and son with rock
and rap. Undoubtedly, one of the most interesting
Cuban composers today.
Cuerda Viva Festival
Teatro Karl Marx
March 22-23, 9pm
The best of young Cuban rock, rap and jazz soloists
and bands in the annual Cuerda Viva Festival.
visitcuba.com
contents
page 15
modern fusion
The contemporary fusion and electronic music scene has expanded recently as new bars and clubs have
opened party promoters have organized events in parks and public spaces. For more information about
the best bars and clubs see our Havana Guide section.
Wednesday nights has recently seen Interactivo playing at Bertolt Brecht – brilliant group and great
venue (starts late!). The Sunday afternoon Máquina de la Melancolía - Frank Delgado and Luis Alberto
García (5-9pm) at El Sauce has a large following. Look out this month for Habana Abierta performing in
various locales. Don’t miss them!
In Havana’s burgeoning entertainment district along First Avenue from the Karl Marx theatre to the
aquarium you are spoilt for choice with the always popular Don Cangreco featuring good live music
(Kelvis Ochoas and David Torrens alternate Fridays), Las Piedras (insanely busy from 3am) and El Palio
and Melem bar – both featuring different singers and acts in smaller more intimate venues.
Café Cantante Mi Habana. Teatro Nacional
Casa de la Música de Miramar
Wednesdays Performances by Qva Libre
Sundays
5 pm
11 pm
Tuesdays
Performances by Kelvis Ochoa
5 pm
Café Concert El Sauce
Sundays
5 pm
mar 1
Trovador Frank Delgado and the
well-known actor Luis Alberto
García, who on this occasion is a
DJ, offer a selection of pop, rock,
Cuban alternative music, singersongwriters and audiovisuals.
Interactivo and Habana Abierta
Performances by Giraldo Piloto
and his band Klimax
Centro Cultural Fresa y Chocolate
Mondays
10: 30pm
Wichy D´Vedado, one of the most
famous DJs in Havana, who plays
the best of world music.
Fábrica de Arte Cubano (F.A.C.)
mar 2
Performance by Polaroid
6 pm
9 pm
mar 8
9 pm
mar 22
Presentation of a new album by
Kelvis Ochoa
Jardines del 1830
Sundays
David Blanco
10 pm
Presentation of a new album by
Vanito Caballero
mar 8
9 pm
mar 29
9 pm
Teatro Lázaro Peña
mar 15
8:30 pm
Performance by Mezcla and guests
Yoruba Andabo, Raíces Profundas,
Obsesión, among others. This very
successful band, led by the USborn guitarist and composer Pablo
Menéndez has combined Cuban
musical genres and added sounds
from the Caribbean with genuine
jazz, rock, blues and folk music.
10 pm
Performances by one of the most
popular bands in Cuba, playing an
extensive repertoire of Cuban and
Latin American music.
Performance by Alexander Abreu y
Havana d’ Primera
Teatro Karl Marx
mar 29
9 pm
Concert by Waldo Mendoza, one of
Cuba’s most popular singers today.
La Gruta
Thursdays
Kola Loka
10 pm
Tercera y 8
Teatro Mella
mar 21
9 pm
Mondays
Concert with Karamba, one of the
most popular bands today
visitcuba.com
Performances by Baby Lores.
11 pm
contents
page 16
salsa / timba
Alexander Abreu at
Casa de la Música de Galiano.
Photo by Alexander Mene
Casa de la Música Habana
Casa de la Música de Miramar
Wednesdays
11 pm
José Luis Cortés y NG La
Banda
March 3, 17,
24, 31
11 pm
Sur Caribe
Thursday
5 pm
Pupy y los que Son Son
Mar 10
Isaac Delgado
11 pm
Charanga Latina.
Tuesdays
11 pm
11 pm
Fridays
5 pm
Azúcar Negra
Wednesdays
5 pm
Juan Guillermo
Lázaro Valdés y Bamboleo
11 pm
Adalberto Álvarez y su Son
Saturdays
11 pm
11 pm
Thursdays
5 pm
Manolito Simonet y su
Trabuco
Fridays
5 pm
El Niño y La Verdad
11 pm
José Luis Cortés y NG La
Banda
5 pm
Tumbao Habana
11 pm
Lázaro Valdés y Bamboleo
11 pm
Lázaro Valdés y Bamboleo
Manolito Simonet y su
Trabuco
Diablo Tun Tun
Mondays
Wednesdays
Thursdays
Saturdays
11 pm
11 pm
11 pm
5 pm
11 pm
El Noro y Primera Clase
To Mezclao
José Luis Cortés y NG La
Banda
Manana Club
Tania Pantoja
11 pm
Thursdays
Sundays
Café Cantante Mi Habana
El Jelengue de Areíto
Tuesdays
Fridays
Septeto Habanero (traditional
music)
Monday
11 pm
Manana Club
Friday
5 pm
11 pm
La Señorita Gladys
Guaracheros (traditional music)
11 pm
Fridays
Rumberos de Cuba (rumba)
5 pm
11 pm
Timbalaye (rumba)
Caribe Girls
Piano Bar Delirio Habanero
Saturdays
11 pm
Sundays
Pedrito Calvo y La Justicia
10 pm
Septeto Nacional Ignacio Piñeiro
Discotemba La Década
visitcuba.com
contents
page 17
XIII Festival Internacional Fiesta
del Tambor Guillermo Barreto
in memoriam
March 11-16, 2014, Havana
Mella & Karl Marx theaters, Salón Rosado de la
Tropical, Palacio de la Rumba and Habana Libre
Hotel
This festivity of percussion pays tribute to one of the cult figures
of Cuban percussion: Guillermo Barreto, star of the Tropicana
orchestra in the 1950s and founding member of the Orquesta
Cubana de Música Moderna. While young talents measure their
skills during the competition, experts disclose the secrets of
the complex Cuban percussion at theoretical meetings, lectures
and master classes, and the evenings are set aside for the
performances of popular national and international bands and
soloists.
Percussionists from Cuba, Mexico, Australia, Argentina and the United States will be participating
alongside guest Jojo Mayer, highly acclaimed Swiss drummer who now lives in New York City.
The percussion competition will be open to musicians of all ages and nationalities in five different
modalities and instruments: drums, paila, congas, bongos and batá. Each musician may compete in two
different instruments. Another competition that will be held for the first time in this event will be casino
style salsa dancing for couple, both Cuban and from other countries.
Over 1,000 Cuban musicians will be playing during the Festival’s concerts, including Van Van, Manolito
Simonet y su Trabuco, Buena Vista Social Club, Adalberto Álvarez y su Son, Alexander Abreu y Habana
D’Primera, Maykel Blanco y Salsa Mayor, Yoruba Andabo, Klimax, Anacaona, the Lizt Alfonso, Habana
Compás Dance and Havana Queens dance companies, just to name a few.
The festival will pay special tributes to the greatest Cuban composer of all time, Leo Brouwer, on his
75th birthday; to Juan Formell, leader of the Van Van; and to the outstanding Cuban percussionist José
Luis “Changuito” Quintana.
visitcuba.com
contents
page 18
Festival de Música Antigua
Esteban Salas
Through March 22, 2014
Organized by the Historian’s Office of Havana
and the Ars Longa early Music Ensemble, the 10th
edition of this festival of early music continues
throughout the month. Throughout the years, the
festival has been the ideal vehicle to disseminate the
rich Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque musical
heritage, performed by Cuban and international
musicians. This year, the festival will travel to the
each of the first seven towns established in Cuba.
Program March 2014
Basílica Menor de San Francisco de Asís
march 1
6 pm
march 15
6 pm
Compositions for viola by Mozart,
performed by viola player Anolan
González and guests.
Two Exponents from the German
Baroque, performance by the
Solistas de La Habana orchestra
conducted by María Elena
Mendiola.
march 16
7 pm
march 21
6 pm
Gulumbá Gulumbé: The sounds of
Africa in the new World. Ars Longa
Early Music Ensemble conducted
by Teresa Paz and Aland López
Un fandango barroco: Tembembe
Ensamble Continuo from México,
conducted by Eloy Cruz.
Iglesia de Paula
mach 2
7 pm
mach 4
7 pm
mach 8
7 pm
17th- and 18th-Century European
Courts by harpsichord player
Kathleen McIntosh from the US
and the Orquesta Barroca of
Cuba’s National School of Music.
march 8
Galicia and its song, concert by
the choir of the Ilustre Colegio de
Abogados de Vigo (Soain) and the
Ars Longa Early Music Ensemble
conducted by Nanette Sánchez.
march 9
Stylistic Musical Panorama
of Early 18th-Century Europe:
France, Italy and Germany by
the Italian baroque oboist Alfredo
Bernardini and Ars Longa.
7 pm
visitcuba.com
7 pm
7 pm
march 12
Lumiere Baroque-Musique sacrée
à la cour du Roi Soleil by Ensemble
Vocal Claire Garrone (France) and
Ars Longa conducted by Claire
Garrone.
Polychoral Art in Colonial
America by Ensemble Vocal Claire
Garrone and Ars Longa conducted
by Teresa Paz.
Historical and musical tour of
Spain and its viceroyalties with
the Exsulten Early Music Ensemble
(Bayamo, Cuba) conducted by
Yunexy Arjona.
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page 19
Iglesia de Paula
mach 13
7 pm
mach 14
7 pm
mach 17
7 pm
Two Masters from the 19th
Century, two Different Views
for Compositions for the Same
Cathedral with the Ars Nova Early
Music Ensemble (Santa Clara,
Cuba) conducted by Angélica
María Solernou.
march 18
16th Century, splendor of
Renaissance Polyphony by the
chamber choir Exaudi (Cuba)
conducted by María Felicia Pérez.
7 pm
Versatility and Virtuosity in
the Classic Formats for Wind
Instruments by Ventus Habana
(Cuba) conducted by Alina Blanco.
7 pm
march 19
march 20
7 pm
Baroque in Romantics-Musical
Influence of Baroque Rhetoric in
German Romantic Esthetics by
the Ensemble Vocal Luna Ensemble
and organist Moisés Santiesteban
conducted by Wilmia Verrier.
The Charming Recorder in
Baroque Music with François
Dolmetsch (UK) and David Gómez
García (Colombia), and recorder
players and soloists from the Ars
Longa Early Music Ensemble.
Colorful Latin America from the
16th to the 21st Centuries with
organist Cristina García Banegas
(Uruguay).
Aula Magna del Colegio Universitario San Gerónimo
mach 13
7 pm
The Night Is Inviting: Concert with Ars Longa, Ars Nova, Exsulten, Ensemble Vocal Luna,
Orquesta Barroca of the national School of Music, the children’s choir Cantus Firmus,
Tembembe Continuo, Cristina García Banegas and Omar Morales Abril (Guatemala)
conducted by Teresa Paz and Aland López
Lectures and Workshops
Edificio Santo Domingo
mach 3-9
9 am
mach 14
7 pm
Master classes by Bernardin (Italy)
for students of baroque oboe.
Lectures and Workshops
Colegio Universitario San Gerónimo
march 22
9 am
Symposium Early and Traditional
Music: convergence.
Masks, workshop on making mask
with reused materials, conducted
by Maray Pereda Peña, professor of
the Design Institute.
Polyphony Choral Singing of the
16th century: style and Context.
Workshop conducted by the
musicologist and director Omar
Morales Abril, for members of early
music ensembles.
mach 17
7 pm
Ornaments in 16th-century Attire,
lecture by the art historian MSc.
Silvia Llanes.
Outside Havana
Casa de Cultura Juan Marinello, Santa Clara
mach 11
8:30 pm
Polychoral Art in Colonial
America by Ensemble Vocal Claire
Garrone and Ars Longa conducted
by Teresa Paz.
visitcuba.com
Lectures and Workshops
Museo Municipal de Historia, Trinidad
march 12
8:30 pm
Polychoral Art in Colonial
America by Ensemble Vocal Claire
Garrone and Ars Longa conducted
by Teresa Paz.
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page 20
classical music
Photo by Alex Mene of Raul Paz performing in Basílica Menor de San Francisco de Asís, February 2014
Basílica Menor de San Francisco de Asís
mach 7
6 pm
mach 13
6 pm
The Orquesta de Cámara de La
Habana will pay tribute to Johann
Sebastian Bach.
march 8
The chorus Yale Glee Club from
Yale University, conducted by
Jeffrey Douma, and Entrevoces,
conducted by Digna Guerra, will
play works by Brahms, Tomás Luis
de Victoria, Rachmaninoff, Conrad
Winslow and Theodore Morrison,
among other composers.
march 25
6 pm
6 pm
march 29
6 pm
Concert by the Camerata Romeu
conducted by Zenaida Romeu.
Concert, National Chamber Music
Festival
Concert, National Chamber Music
Festival
Biblioteca Nacional José Martí
Saturdays
Performances by soloists and chamber ensembles.
5 pm
Casa del ALBA Cultural
march 2
5 pm
march 9
3 pm
En Confluencia, conducted by
guitarists Eduardo and Galy
Martín.
Tarde de Concierto, conducted by
the soprano Lucy Provedo.
visitcuba.com
march 16
5 pm
march 23
De Nuestra América, conducted by
pianist Alicia Perea.
Concert by guitarist Rosa Matos.
5 pm
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classical music
Centro Hispano Americano de Cultura
mach 8
6 pm
mach 29
6 pm
Concert by the Solistas de La
Habana chamber orchestra
conducted by María Elena
Mendiola.
march 22
6 pm
Concert by the Habana Martin
chamber orchestra and guests
conducted by the pianist Alina
Martin.
Concert by the Coro Polifónico de
La Habana and the Chorus of the
University of Ontario.
Oratorio San Felipe Neri
march 14
7 pm
march 26
7 pm
Concert by the University of the
Arts Symphony Orchestra as the
closing activity of the workshop
conducted by Argentinian Jorge
Rotter.
march 20
National Chamber Music Festival:
Concert by the trio Móviles and the
Esteban Salas Chamber Orchestra:
7 pm
Sala Covarrubias, Teatro Nacional
sundays
5 pm
Concerts by the National
Symphony Orchestra.
7 pm
march 27
Performance by the duo Deux à
Grande Vitesse, made up by Frank
Alejandro Suárez (bassoon) and
Ariel Jorge Pérez (trombone)
National Chamber Music Festival:
Recital by pianists Mayté Aboy and
Paula Suárez
Sala Gonzalo Roig. Palacio del Teatro Lírico Nacional
march 30
5 pm
Cuerda Dominical with guitarist
Luis Manuel Molina.
Sala Ignacio Cervantes
march 7
6 pm
march 23
6 pm
Cuban Classics, concert with
soprano Bárbara Llanes and
pianist Rolando Luna who will
interpret works by Ernesto
Lecuona, Oscar Hernández, Sindo
Garay, Gonzalo Roig, Ignacio
Cervantes, Eduardo Sánchez de
Fuentes, Guillermo Tomás, Emilio
and Eliseo Grenet
march 28
6 pm
march 30
6 pm
Concert by Dunia Anderus
(clarinet), Alberto Rosas ( flute) and
Félix Manuel Terrón (bassoon),
prizewinners of the UNEAC
Woodwind 2013 Competition.
Concert, National Chamber Music
Festival
The Amadeo Roldán string
quartet will play works by Cuban
composers Guido López-Gavilán
and Jorge López Marín, as well as
works by violinists William Roblejo
and Leonardo Pérez, members of
this quartet.
Sala Jean Lebrat, Casa Víctor Hugo
march 8
5 pm
Concert by the wind quartet Nueva
Camerata conducted by Haskell
Armenteros.
march 22
5 pm
Recital by guitarist Rosa Matos and
soprano Ivett Betancourt.
Sala Avenida
march
3 pm
The musical project Radio Enciclopedia and its Musicans will present the clarinetist, sax
player and composer Javier Zalba
visitcuba.com
contents
page 22
XI Festival de Música de
Cámara
March 25-29, Havana
Presided by pianist Frank Fernández, the festival
aims to advance the interpretation, development
and performance of this form of classical music
in Cuba, emphasizing on small format ensembles,
as well as the interpretation of Cuban and
Latin American music. Tributes will be paid to
outstanding exponents of chamber music: Carlos
Fariñas on his 80th birthday; Amadeo Roldán on
the 75th anniversary of his death; Frank Fernández
on his 70th birthday and 55 years of artistic career;
Guido López-Gavilán on his 70th birthday and
45 years of his artistic career; Juan Piñera and
Alfredo Muñoz on their 65th birthdays; and Czech
composer Antonin Dvorák on the 110th anniversary
of his death and the German composer Christoph
Willibad Gluck on the 300th anniversary of his
birth. Concerts and master classes will be given at
art schools by members of the musical ensembles
which have been invited to the event.
Premio y Coloquio
Internacional
de Musicología
March 17-21
The Musicology Prize was created to encourage
scientific research and to spread knowledge and
appreciation of Latin American musical culture;
the competition covers unpublished papers on
musical historiography, interpretation and critical
explanations about musical creation, traditional and folklore music, theory and practice in the
teaching of music, overall theoretical musicological framework papers and any other topics concerning musical esthetics, sociology and anthropology. During the event, the 8th International
Musicology Colloquium and the 1st conference
of the Regional Association of the International Musicology Association for Latin America and
the Caribbean will also be in session. The organizers have announced several concerts, including
Madre Tierra, all-star young jazz musicians by sax
player and composer Michel Herrera, launchings
of books and specialized journals.
For more information, a press conference will be
held March 7, 10am at the Manuel Galich Hall, Casa
de las Américas.
visitcuba.com
contents
page 23
Theatre
Antigonón,
un contingente épico
Performed by Teatro El Publico
Fri & Sat, 8:30pm; Sun, 5pmTeatro Trianón
Carlos Diaz and his troupe, Teatro el Publico’s
most recent performance involved a trip back
to the classics, guided and partnered by Rogelio
Orizondo who wrote Antigonón, un contingente
épico especially for them. Carlos is the most wellknown and brilliant Cuban theatre director with
a reputation for directing plays with abundant
nudity, transvestites and subtle winks at the Cuban
national reality. Antigóne does not dissapoint – go
see it for youself!
Giordano Bruno
Performed by Teatro de la Luna
Sala Osvaldo Dragún, teatro Raquel
Revuelta, Fri Sat & Sun, 6pm
Written by Tomás González, the play approaches the life story of the famous Italian philosopher
Giordano Bruno, who was burned at the stake
in 1600, and deals with topic such as the search
for truth, superstition, religion and the liberty of
thought from present-day perspective.
Festival de teatro
francófono
March 16-23, Havana
Directed by Serge Sándor, the French Theater Festival will present plays by contemporary authors
from France, Belgium, Switzerland and Canada.
The organizers have announced the productions
Por ahora dudo and La prueba de lo contrario by
Swiss playwrights Marie Fourquet and Olivier Chiacchiari, respectively; Juan y Beatriz by Canadian playwright Carole Fléchette; El testamento de
Vanda by French playwright Jean-Pierre Simeón;
and La pandilla by Belgian playwright Xavier Carrar.
visitcuba.com
contents
page 24
Theatre
Las lágrimas no hacen
ruido al caer
Centro Cultural Bertolt Brecht. Café teatro
March 7-23, Fri & Sat, 8:30pm; Sun,
5:00pm
Monse Duany is the legendary Cuban singer
Guadalupe Yolí—La Lupe—n the monologue
Las lágrimas no hacen ruido al caer by the
late playwright Alberto Pedro. Monse Duany is
versatility itself: She creates situations of humor
and anguish, joy and sadness, understanding and
impotence. She sings, dances, recites, dreams,
shouts, cries, falls in love, suffers… She is the kind
of actress that exudes energy and passion.
Romance en Charco Seco
Sala Adolfo Llauradó, Fri & Sat, 8:30pm;
Sun, 5:30pm
Teatro La Proa opens Romance en Charco Seco,
a version by Erduyn Maza based on Amor de don
Perlimplín con Belisa en su jardín, written by Federico García Lorca, set on this occasion in the
present-day Cuban countryside. Fifty-four puppets in a show not suitable under 14s.
The Mandrake
Centro Cultural Bertolt Brecht. Sala Tito
Junco, Fri & Sat, 8:30pm; Sun, 5:30pm
Teatro del Círculo reruns Miguel Montesco’s version of The Mandrake by Niccoló Machiavelli, a
classic satire on corruption, manipulation, deceit
in 16th-century Florence.
La farándula pasa
Sala Hubert de Blank
Fri & Sat, 8:30pm; Sun, 5:00pm
Rerun of La farándula pasa by the Hubert de
Blanck theater company.
visitcuba.com
contents
page 25
For kids
Sueño de una noche de
verano
Grupo de teatro El Arca, Fri, Sat and Sun,
3pm, Teatro de Títeres El Arca
The El Arca Puppet Theater presents Sueño de una
noche de verano based on William Shakespeare’s
immortal A Midsummer Night’s Dream with music
by Mendelssohn.
En Buena Compañía
Carpa Trompoloco
Sat & Sun, 4pm & 7pm
The magical and adventurous world of the circus
continues. Cuba’s prime circus venue, Carpa
Trompoloco, presents “En Buena Compañía” (In
Good Company), the new show featuring, among
other acts, tightrope walkers, acrobats, clowns,
gymnasts, trained animals, and the fascinating
flying trapeze, which was awarded the Grand Prix
during the past CIRCUBA 2013 Festival.
Playas del Este
Take the little monsters to the beach. March is
a gorgeous month for all lovers of sun, sea and
sand castles. Watch out for the occasional jellyfish
(medusas) but in general relax and enjoy the uncrowded beaches 20 minutes to the East of Old
Havana.
visitcuba.com
contents
page 26
Love & Peace Havana
Festival Concerts
www.lovepeacehavana.com
The festival was founded in 2011 as a collaboration between Skivbolaget National,
the Swedish Peace & Love Festival and Fábrica de Arte Cubano, which is curated
by Cuban megastar X Alfonso. When the Peace & Love Festival was forced to leave
the organization due to financial difficulties in 2013, they were replaced by the
Norwegian Embassy as new main partner. At this stage, the festival changed its
name to ‘Love & Peace Havana’ as a way of putting focus on its love for fantastic
Cuba and its world-class cultural life.
PARTNERS:
Skivbolaget National
Fábrica de Arte Cubano
Norska Ambassaden in Havana
CONTACT
Festival General:
Eggis Johansson, [email protected]
Press Inquiries: Petter Seander,
[email protected], 0046739434920
Parque Metropolitano March 8-6 PM -2
AM
X Alfonso (Cu)
Atomic Swing (Swe)
Honningbarna (No)
10pm: Concerts
INVSN (Swe)
March 5: Honningbarna (Norway)
March 6: Luna Green (Sweden) & Razika David Blanco (Cu), Razika (No)
(Norway)
Obsesison with friends (Cu)
March 7: INVSN (SE)
Luna Green (Swe)
Fábrica de Arte Cubano March 5, 6, 7
8pm: DJ’s, Art exhibition (March 5-7)
9pm: Short Movies (March 5)
visitcuba.com
contents
page 27
ATOMIC SWING (Se)
One of the most successful Swedish rock bands of all time, Atomic
Swing, is back! After breaking big with their debut album in 1992,
the band has continued to tour worldwide, leaving unforgettable
hits as “Stone Me into the Groove,” “Dream On” and “Smile” as
their legacy.
DAVID BLANCO (Cu)
Widely popular in Cuba with his mixture of Cuban influences and
classic rock, blues and soul. Tours regularly all over Cuba and has
a large following.
INVSN (Se)
INVSN (pronounced “invasion”) is imbued with the passionate
spirit of hardcore-punk and emboldened by the rich history of
rock‘n’roll. The Swedish band has developed a sound that delivers
subversively deliberate pop through a post-punk lens.
HONNINGBARNA (No)
One of Norway’s most interesting new bands. With an explosive
live show and fantastic recordings somewhere in between punk
and rock—also adding political lyrics—the band has slowly built an
audience for itself throughout Europe.
LUNA GREEN (Se)
Swedish debut artist Luna Green has received rave reviews during
the past year and is hailed as one possible contender for “newcomer
of the year” by Swedish music biz magazine Musikindustrin.se.
RAZIKA (No)
Razika, based in Bergen, Norway, has had great success since
the debut album in 2011. The band’s dynamic ska-pop-punk has
thrilled listeners all over the world, including music critics at
NME and The Guardian in the UK. One of Norway’s great hopes
for the future!
X ALFONSO (Cu)
One of the most popular artists in Cuba, selling out mega shows
and known by all. X has played every Love & Peace Havana and is
also the Cuban counterpart arranging the festival through Fábrica
de Arte Cubano.
visitcuba.com
contents
page 28
Festival Internacional de la Trova Pepe Sánchez
March 18-23, 2014
Santiago de Cuba
The International Pepe Sánchez Trova Festival
began in 1962 in homage to local Santiago de
Cuba composer José (Pepe) Sánchez (1856-1918),
considered the father of Cuban trova (the troubador
genre of voice, song and poetry that is usually
accompanied by a guitar). Several generations of
musicians from different musical trends within
trova participate in this event, including exponents
of more traditional trova, of filin (an evolution of
bolero and trova), and of nueva trova (the very
Cuban genre of personal commentary influenced
by British, US and Brazilian popular music).
Santiago de Cuba—the cradle of trova—hosts this
festival which takes the city’s streets and parks by
storm in a celebration where musicians and singers
from abroad join their Cuban counterparts. La
apertura of the festival on Troubador Day, March
19th, commemorates the anniversary of the birth
of Pepe Sanchez.
The festivals have been held since 1962, congregating
musicians who belong to different generations
and tendencies within the genre of Trova covering
everything from its most traditional interpreters
to the various artists espousing what has come
to be known as “new Trova”. Santiago de Cuba is
touted as being the “cradle of Cuban music” and
this event spills over from the established theatres
into the streets and parks, providing possibilities
for Cuban and foreign musicians in similar genres.
March 19th has been designated as Troubadour
Day in Cuba, commemorating Sanchez’ birth and
the entire city vibrates with serenades to the
rhythm of the son.
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