Nachito Herrera Returns to Jazz Plaza International Festival

The 41st Jazz Plaza International Festival will kick off with the vibrant show “Cuba Vive,” set to take place at various venues across Havana from January 25 to February 1, 2026, and extending to Santiago de Cuba, Santa Clara, and Holguín.

This unique concert, which brings together some of the most renowned names in Cuban music, will be hosted by virtuoso pianist and composer Ignacio “Nachito” Herrera. The event is scheduled for Sunday, January 25, at 11:00 a.m. in the Sala Covarrubias at the National Theatre of Cuba.

Herrera will open the program alongside the National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba, under the baton of principal conductor Maestro Igor Corcuera. Together, they will perform three works by American composer George Gershwin: Obertura Cubana, I Got Rhythm, and, for the first time in Cuba, the Segunda Rapsodia.

The second half of the concert will celebrate the richness of Cuban music, featuring acclaimed vocalist Niurka Reyes, saxophonist and producer Germán Velazco, singer and pianist Bryan Suárez Leyva, and the Amadeo Roldán Conservatory Jazz Band led by Maestro Jorge Sergio Ramírez. The performance will also include the National Choir of Cuba and the National Children’s Choir, both under the direction of Maestro Digna Guerra.

Translated by Luis E. Amador Dominguez