Havana, scene for important music festivals in Cuba

Different music genres, from salsa top hip-hop, and to the so-called classical music have in Havana an ideal scene and an audience eager to see art of high quality. Examples of these are the international festivals Havana World Music, Jazz Plaza and Mozart Havana.

Music of all kind to enjoy

If you are one of those that like to schedule their trips at the same time of important happenings in the destinations, then I propose to review three of the most significant that take place in the capital of the Largest Island in the Antilles.

Havana World Music Festival

In each of its five editions this event has the purpose of bringing together all the energy and diversity possible through different international beats and music styles, well known or almost unknown, performed by Cuban and foreign musicians.

Acclaimed by Cubans and visitors, this cultural event gathers, from the very beginning, select bands and artists such as Systema Solar from Colombia, Instituto Mexicano del Sonido from Mexico, Fuel Fandango form Spain, Madcon from Norway, Sargento Garcia from France or Philippe Cohen Solal, former Gothan Project, from France. From the national arena were Habana D`Primera, Sintesis, Roberto Fonseca, Los Van Van and X Alfonso.

In the Metropolitan Park of Havana and with a significant influx of people, the 2018 edition brought together last March singers and groups with different styles: Interactivo and Sintesis from Cuba; Marinah, former leading voice of mythical Catalonian band Ojos de Brujo; Gretel Barreiro from Cuba; Lolo Lovina from Australia; Henry Cole and Villa Locura from Puerto Rico; La Banda Morisca form Spain; and the Cuban hip-hop trio Orishas, awarded with Grammy awards twice and the best example of this genre in the island.

With the objective of promoting a space for exchanging the current music trends among those interested, the event includes workshops, exhibits, conferences, performances, DJ’s sessions and the usual contest Primera Base, a chance for the new Cuban musicians to develop.

Salsa, hip-hop, reggae, rock and electronic music are the main attractions since the very first edition for an audience interested in original and diverse trends in music.

The Havana World Music Festival is considered one of the most important in the Cuban music scene and has gathered along its short existence about 45 thousand people, growing stronger as a cultural and musical fest where variety and mixing of cultures are in correspondence with the context where it takes place.

Jazz Plaza Festival

Under the appealing theme of Cuban contemporary jazz, the Jazz Plaza Festival, founded by prestigious artist Bobby Carcasses, hosts the most representative trends in jazz at international and national levels.

The 2018 edition in January, had as the main venues in Havana places like Pabellon Cuba, Mella Theater, Casa de Cultura de Plaza and the National Theater. This last time the province of Santiago de Cuba was included as one of the arenas.

Famous artists have given prestige to the festival, such as the US artist and five times Grammy winner Dianne Reeves, Cuban piano players like Chucho Valdes, Ivan (Melon) Lewis and Ramon Valle; as well as US saxo player Joe Lovano, who according to the specialized critics ascended to the top with From the Soul (Blue Note, 1992).

Sponsored by the Cuban Institute of Music and the National Center for Popular Music, this event also includes theoretical activities and in the most recent edition it hosted seven masterly classes; albums and magazines presentations; and tributes to notable artists from the Cuban music scenes.

Mozart Havana Festival

It is unquestionable that Mozart’s creative work makes him a genius of the music of all times. The legacy of this outstanding piano player is more present each time in the Cuban capital thanks to the Mozart Havana Festival that is about to celebrate its fourth edition in 2019.

At San Felipe Neri Oratorio; San Francisco de Asis Square and Basilica; Marti Theater; Ignacio Cervantes Music Hall; University of Havana’s Main Lecture Hall; as well as Jose White Music Hall in Matanzas, are the venues where outstanding musicians and singers from the island and from other parts of the world explore the artistic work of Mozart’s.

Musicians from other countries will join the Cuban musicians. Among them we can mention violin player Alexander Janiczek and Benjamin Herzl, the piano players Nicolas Van Poucke and Simone Dinnerstein, the cellist Ella Van Poucke, the Arch Duet :Tatiana Tchijova and Dore de Marinis; the Hkronos Trio: Analiett Presno, Ana Josefa Pichardo and Heidy Rodriguez; and the soloist and orchestra conductor Gilles Colliard.

The possibility of discovering Mozart’s music in the “New World”, is without any doubt, a chance that should be use by those that enjoy the good classical music.

Varied music in Havana, Cuba

Visiting the island of Cuba is not only about enjoying the beautiful beaches, tropical landscapes, museums and hotel facilities. Though many ignore this, classical music, jazz and other music genres, have in the Pearl of the Antilles a cozy and big house, where art multiplies like the colors of the surroundings.

Excellent cultural choices make the Cuban capital one of the most visited and admired in the Caribbean. The music invites to fantasy and acts as a reason to arouse feelings, to bring Cubans and visitors together for the eternal love to melodies and compositions, to instruments and performers, all in all, to art.

Originally published at havanaprivatesuite.com.