Cuban Pianist Marcos Madrigal Awarded French Order of Arts and Letters

Renowned Cuban pianist Marcos Madrigal has been named Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by France—an honor bestowed by the French Ministry of Culture. This prestigious recognition celebrates not only Madrigal’s distinguished international career as a pianist but also his contributions as a visionary cultural leader committed to artistic innovation and outreach.

As a tribute to this award, Madrigal will perform a special concert on Saturday, May 17 at 4:00 p.m. at the Oratorio San Felipe Neri. The Havana Lyceum Orchestra will join, under the baton of José Antonio Méndez Padrón, one of Latin America’s most prominent young conductors. The concert program will feature works by Camille Saint-Saëns, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, and Sergei Rachmaninoff.

The Concert Program

• Saint-Saëns – Concierto para piano No. 2 en Sol menor, Op. 22
• Rimsky-Korsakov – Capricho Español, Op. 34
• Rachmaninoff – Rapsodia sobre un tema de Paganini, Op. 43

Organized by the Fondo de Arte Joven in collaboration with the Havana Lyceum Orchestra, widely regarded as one of Cuba’s premier ensembles, is composed primarily of young musicians. Many of its members were trained through its Youth Orchestral Academy, founded in 2023, with support from the Fondo de Arte Joven. The Academy provides focused instruction in chamber and orchestral music, serving as a dynamic incubator for the next generation of Cuban classical musicians.

Marcos Madrigal

Born in 1984 in Havana, Marcos Madrigal began his piano training at the age of three. In 2007, he graduated with honors from the Higher Institute of Art of Cuba (ISA) where he received training from the great Cuban pianist and maestra, Teresita Junco. He later continued his studies in Europe, at the International Piano Academy of Lake Como, one of the greatest institutions in the world, presided by the legendary pianist Martha Argerich.

Madrigal is acclaimed for the depth of his interpretation, the richness of his timbre and the elegance of his sonorous structures. Madrigal has performed on some of the world’s most prestigious stages, including the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome, and the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London.

He has worked with renowned conductors such as Claudio Abbado, Leo Brouwer, Paul Mann, Enrique Diemecke and Lorenzo Ramos. In addition, he has developed projects with the Oscar-winning composer Nicola Piovani, as well as with leading figures in film and musical theater.

He is the founder and artistic director of the Habana Clásica International Festival, created in 2017. Every autumn, this event transforms Havana into an exceptional musical venue where great international performers and young Cuban talents converge. Through concerts in the city’s historical venues, the festival proposes a lively dialogue between the classical legacy, contemporary creation and artistic transmission. With a decentralized vision of classicism, it actively integrates non-European musical traditions, offering a modern, open and non-hegemonic reading of the classical sound heritage. The Habana Clásica includes a social dimension as demonstrated in the presentation of academic meetings, Master Classes and concerts in the neighborhoods.

Since 2023, Marcos Madrigal is the musical director of Fondo de Arte Joven, a cultural platform founded in Havana by Lorenzo Suárez, now general producer of the Habana Clásica Festival. Registered as an independent organization in Geneva, it brings together some of the most respected figures of the contemporary art scene. Since this transformation, Madrigal has been vice-president of the organization, continuing to lead its the musical direction.

Under the joint collaboration of Marcos Madrigal and Lorenzo Suárez, the Fondo de Arte Joven has established itself as the benchmark organization supporting and promoting young emerging arts and cultural activities in countries of the Global South.

Currently, the entity is promoting strategic alliances with various agencies of the United Nations system, important actors in international cooperation, private foundations, international academic centers such as Harvard University, and the private sector.