38th Havana Contemporary Music Festival Kicks Off October 5th

The 38th Havana Contemporary Music Festival will take place across various venues in Cuba’s capital from October 5th to 13th.

The opening gala, scheduled at the Basilica Menor of the Convent of St. Francis of Assisi, will feature the renowned Spanish chamber ensemble, Plural Ensemble, performing Chamber Symphony by the celebrated Austrian composer Arnold Schönberg, alongside the world premiere of Plural Toccata, a new work by Cuban maestro Guido López-Gavilán.

Specializing in 20th and 21st-century music, Plural Ensemble frequently participates in prestigious international events, with performances in cities such as Madrid, Brussels, Salamanca, Strasbourg, Shanghai, Nice, Caracas, New York, and St. Petersburg.

Cuban National Music Award recipient Guido López-Gavilán, accompanied by the Música Eterna Chamber Orchestra, will premiere Al mal tiempo buena cara. He will also present other selections from his outstanding repertoire, in celebration of his 80th birthday.

The National Symphony Orchestra will take the stage at the Covarrubias Hall of the National Theater of Cuba, where the world premiere of Cracovia, variaciones transformáticas by José Loyola will be a highlight.

An Electroacoustic Music Concert, marking the 105th anniversary of Juan Blanco’s birth, as well as the 90th of Carlos Fariñas and the 85th of Roberto Valera — all pioneers of Cuban electroacoustic music — promises to be one of the festival’s most memorable moments.

The Manuel Galich Hall at Casa de las Américas will also host leading contemporary sound artists. The festival’s grand finale is slated for the Ignacio Cervantes Hall, where works by Roberto Valera, Guido López-Gavilán, Juan Piñera, André Jolivet (France), Iván Acosta Ochoa, and David Bertok (Germany) will be performed, showcasing the diversity and innovation of contemporary music.

Translated by Luis E. Amador Dominguez