Miriam Ramos Awarded the 2024 National Music Prize

Cuban singer, composer, and guitarist Miriam Ramos Heres (Havana, 1946) has been honored with the 2024 National Music Prize, recognizing her extraordinary artistic career spanning more than six decades.

Pancho Amat, tres player and president of the jury, announced the award from the headquarters of the Cuban Institute of Music, highlighting Ramos’s lifelong dedication to showcasing the richness of Cuban music.

“She has been an artist who, from the realm of song, has expanded into other genres such as filin, bolero, traditional and contemporary trova, son, and Cuban country music, always maintaining a repertoire of excellence,” Amat remarked.

He emphasized her unwavering respect for Cuban music, demonstrated through her wisdom and devotion to each genre she has championed. According to Amat, Ramos’s body of work is worthy of the National Music Prize, a distinction that will bring joy to many Cubans who have cherished her artistic contributions.

Ramos has produced a high-caliber discography, serving as a benchmark for new generations of creators.

Trova singer and jury member Augusto Blanca recalled Ramos’s significant presence during the foundational moments of the Nueva Trova Movement in 1972 in the city of Manzanillo.

“With elegance and without compromises, Miriam Ramos has been a faithful exponent of Cuban music, producing albums that are true treasures,” Blanca affirmed.

The jury also included flutists Orlando Valle “Maraca” and Niurka González, as well as record producer José Manuel García, Production Manager at Bis Music.

Between 1963 and 1969, Miriam Ramos was a member of the Cuban National Choir, then directed by Maestro Serafín Pro.

Her artistic versatility extended to acting, as seen in the television series Algo más que soñar, and to hosting radio and television programs, including No hacen falta alas on Radio Progreso, which focused on music and world literature, and La Esquina del Jazz on CMBF Radio Musical Nacional.

Ramos’s accolades include the Distinction for National Culture, the Raúl Gómez García Medal, the Grand Prize at Cubadisco (1999), and the Performance Prize at the Adolfo Guzmán Cuban Song Contest in 1983 and 1984.

Translated by Luis E. Amador Dominguez