Much to the delight of its numerous followers, the International Guitar Festival of Havana is coming back after far too many years of silence. It was founded in 1982 by the superb guitarist, composer and orchestra conductor Leo Brouwer; in previous editions he managed to assemble significant figures from the world of international guitar such as Ichiro Suzuki from Japan, Costas Cotsiolis from Greece, Paco de Lucia from Spain, the Argentine Maria Luisa Anido, Francis Bebey from the Cameroons, David Russell and John Williams from Britain and the Venezuelan Alirio Diaz to the Cuban capital.
From the start, the festival has been distinguished by a broad conceptual base regarding the projection of the guitar and so there has been plenty of room for “classical” guitar alongside of popular and folkloric trends as well as other instruments from the guitar family coming from a variety of different cultures.
For this edition, the organizers have announced the participation of several guitar maestros, including early music specialists Hopkinson Smith and Anthony Spiri, remarkable figures of contemporary guitar such as Álvaro Pierri, Hubert Käppel, Joaquín Clerch, Ricardo Gallén, Rafael Aguirre, Marco Tamayo, Franz Hallaz and Jorge Luis Zamora, as well as exponents of musical genres, including flamenco guitarist Javier Conde; the Savarez Duo, who play concert popular music; tres player tres player Pancho Amat, and troubadours, guitarists and composers Pedro Luis Ferrer and Silvio Rodríguez. Other performances include Yosniel Rivera, second prize winner in the past two editions of the Isaac Nicola Guitar Competition, and the Sonantas Habaneras Guitar Orchestra. Several guest artists will offer master classes.
For more information contact:
Comité Organizador, Instituto Cubano de la Música, Centro Nacional de Música de Concierto, Teatro Auditórium Amadeo Roldán
Tel. Direct: 832-5552.
E-mail: concguithabana@amadeo.cult.cu
