Maestro José Loyola Fernández receives the National Prize for Artistic Education 2023

The outstanding composer, music theorist, orchestra conductor and flutist José Loyola was awarded the National Prize for Artistic Education 2023 on 21 February, in recognition of his hard work as a teacher of new generations in the specialities of composition, orchestration, harmony, counterpoint, music history and musical acoustics at the ISA, an institution of which he is a founder and where he holds the special teaching category of Consulting Professor.

A member of the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba and the president of the International Festival of Boleros de Oro since 1987, organized by Uneac and its Association of Musicians, Maestro Loyola is being honored at a significant moment when UNESCO has declared the bolero genre as part of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity. He is recognized for preserving, enriching, and imparting his knowledge of this genre.

The jury, consisting of Helmo Hernández, Corina Mestre Vilaboy, Graciela Chao Carbonero, Jesús Ortega Trusta, and Miguel Iglesias Ferrer, unanimously decided to award Loyola. They emphasized his role as the founding director of Charanga de Oro, a group renowned for the expertise of its performers and its extensive repertoire, representative of the diverse rhythms constituting the «golden heritage» of Cuban popular music.

Maestro Loyola’s extensive catalog encompasses works for film and theater, as well as choral, symphonic, chamber, and concert music, performed in various countries worldwide. His significant contributions extend to publications in important books and journals.

Currently associated with the University of the Arts, where he has served as Vice-Rector and Dean, Loyola is involved in the Academic Degrees Commission, the Academic Council, and the Faculty of Music’s Teaching Category Tribunal. Throughout his illustrious career, he has received numerous awards and recognitions, including the Raúl Gómez García National Culture Award, the Cuban Education Award, and the Alejo Carpentier Medal.

Translated by Luis E. Amador Dominguez