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The 25th International Festival Boleros de Oro (Golden Ballads), sponsored by the National Association of Cuban Writers and Artists (UNEAC), takes place in Cuba from June 25 to 29. This year it is devoted to two famous celebrities in Cienfuegos province: Benny More (Santa Isabel de las Lajas, 1919) for its 95th birthday anniversary and Aragon orchestra (1939) for its 75 anniversary too.
Among the activities to be held, which also remembers the centenarian anniversary of Roberto Faz, they celebrated, for the first time, the I International Contest Boleros de Oro on June 25 and 26 at Mella Theater in Vedado. This is a contest for young singers under 30 years old with the goal to promote new talents in this genre. Honorary awards will be granted.
Likewise, it is foreseen the I International Competition for Music Collectors with its phonogram participation from several foreign countries. Awards will honorary too.
International Colloquium
Among the most outstanding event there is the International Colloquium of Latin America and Caribbean Ballad Singers: new classics which are held at Dulce Maria Loynaz Hall from the Latin American Cultural Center on June 26, 27 and 28 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m, with the purpose to analyze, debate and deepen in the artistic situation of the ballad in contemporaneous time.
Musicologists, academicians, professors, specialists and experts on the complexities and richness of this musical genre participate.
President of this colloquium, Alicia Valdes Cantero, musicologist and investigator said “her main goal is to stimulate research, knowledge and propaganda of this song as main testimonies of the Latin American and Caribbean identity.
Cuban specialists (23), among them presenters, speakers, musicians launching disks, artists and 14 lecturers from Colombia (9), Mexico (4) and Italy (1) are in this event.
She said that the Cubans participating are from the High Institute of Arts, the Investigation and Development Center of the Cuban Music, Enrique Varona Pedagogical College, Benny More Promotion Center of Music and the Provincial Center of Cinema from Havana as well as representatives from UNEAC in Sancti Spiritus.
“The Colloquium –the musicologist noted-, is the lightening and privilege space of this festival, because it not only favors the debate to widen knowledge, but also helps to change the state of things nowadays… But above all, it is the result of the job carried out by the organizing committee of Boleros de Oro and the devotion of several generations of researchers and studious of the Latin American and Caribbean musical culture.
Since 1995, Valdes is responsible of the direction, coordination and organization of this traditional and indispensible event in the festival. “The colloquium always goes beyond expectations what shows it has become a forum for individual and collective learning where journalists, writers, musicians, critics, students and other specialists interested in this genre participate.”
“We not only deal with theoretical aspects but also artistic and social. We organize the sale of books, magazines, disks. We screen documentaries and we have live performances of well known artists and new talents. We also honor to outstanding researcher personalities of music and Cuban culture in general. We will homage this year to Marta Valdes, who will celebrate her 80th birthday on July 6.”
“June has legitimate a space to pay tribute to the ballad. I ask to vote for a future consolidation of this cultural project that will permit to think, sing and dream the ballad the entire year.”
