The Joseíto Fernández Performance Contest begins this Sunday

Between September 3rd and 5th, the 26th edition of the Joseíto Fernández Performance Contest of traditional Cuban music will take place in Havana. This edition is dedicated to celebrating the 115th anniversary of his birth and the 60th anniversary of the international recognition of La Guantanamera.

This Sunday, September 3rd, the event will kick off with the exhibition and award ceremony of the Joseíto Fernández in Memoriam Plastic Arts Contest. Afterward, there will be a pilgrimage from the Casa de Cultura named after him in the Centro Habana district to Gervasio 658, the birthplace of the singer.

The inaugural day will also feature the Peña Pasado y Presente, and in the evening there will be a contest in the courtyard of La Guantanamera, with the participation of Regla Ruiz, the winner of the previous edition of the contest.

The following day, the Giuseppe Verdi Auditorium will host the Con sombrero y guayabera Cuban music contest for children. On the second night of the contest, the Identidad dance group will take the stage.

On September 5th, the book Joseíto Fernández, el rey de la melodía by María Eugenia Azcuy Rodríguez and Osmar Noriega Aguirre will be launched. Additionally, Oralitura Habana will be hosting a presentation in celebration of the Cuban musician’s birthday.

At 20:00, the Awards Gala will take place at the Teatro de Variedades América. The groups Addé Olorum and Identidad will participate, along with solo singers Ángel Manuel, Regla Ruiz, and Osvaldo Pedroso.

José Fernández Díaz was born on the 5th of September 1908. He had a distinct style of his own and was referred to as The King of Melody. Throughout his life, he performed various musical genres and popularized the song La Guantanamera, which made him an iconic figure in Cuban popular music.

Translated by Luis E. Amador Dominguez