Musical Contest Held to Mark Mexico’s National Holiday

The musical contest Serenata a México, organized by the Embassy of the United Mexican States in Cuba to commemorate its National Holiday, or Grito de Dolores, on September 16, was announced at a news conference held Thursday in the Gilberto Bosques Hall at the diplomatic mission.

The embassy is joined by the Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation, the Benito Juárez House Museum of Havana’s Historic Center, and the UNAM Mexico Studies Center in Cuba, in collaboration with the Cuban Institute of Music and the Ministry of Culture (Mincult), with the aim of paying tribute to major popular figures.

The conference was presided over by Ambassador Miguel Díaz Reynoso; Fernando Rojas, adviser to Cuba’s minister of culture; and Eleonora Isunza, Mexico’s cultural attaché. They all agreed that the contest will be an opportunity for both amateurs and professionals, as well as an incentive for those across the largest of the Antillean archipelagos who devote their time and talent to Mexican music.

Isunza explained that Serenata a México will feature two performance categories: a rendition of a work by the celebrated composer and singer Alberto Aguilera Valadéz, known worldwide as Juan Gabriel, or a performance from the broad repertoire of Mexican ranchera music.

The contest will also unfold in three stages. The first begins with the publication of the call and registration form on the embassy’s website on the 24th of this month and runs through August 15. Eliminating auditions will then take place from August 18 to 21 at the House of the Americas, at Calle Obrapía 116, esquina a Mercaderes, in Old Havana, followed by the final gala on September 15, on the eve of the country’s major national commemoration.

Four finalists per category, eight in total, will compete on equal terms for the performance prizes, along with a third prize to be decided by the audience.

Díaz Reynoso noted that every year they pay a special tribute to some aspect of Mexican culture, but this time the National Holiday seeks to tap into Cuban audiences’ affinity for those traditions, especially music.

He said his country maintains a firm position of solidarity with Cuba, most recently demonstrated by the arrival of 10 ships carrying aid and an eleventh expected soon, and that holding this celebration is a way of sending a message to anyone who needs to hear it: “Cuba is not alone; it is not enough to raise a hand to condemn the blockade, we must turn votes into action and go one step further,” he said.

Fernando Rojas, for his part, said that the system of institutions within Mincult continues to place its trust in the value of initiatives and partnerships such as this one, despite the energy siege, the blockade and the escalating aggression from the United States.

“The work we do with Mexico is part of that conviction and that commitment; we believe that even under the most difficult conditions, cultural life must be sustained in institutions and communities. It is something done for the people, and I am sure that those same people will be grateful to Mexico,” the intellectual added.

Further details of the contest and participation rules will be made available to all interested parties on the date mentioned above, while the organizers will leave for a later meeting with the press details such as the jury members and the venue that will host the gala for Mexico’s 2026 national festivities.

Translated by Luis E. Amador Dominguez

Photo: ACN