The fifth edition of Habana Clásica, Cuba’s largest international festival of classical music, returns to Havana from November 18 to December 3.
Habana Clásica has had a great impact on the socio-cultural reality of the city since the first edition in 2017
Founded in 2017 by pianist Marcos Madrigal, Habana Clásica is a space par excellence where both the Cuban audience, young Cuban artists and renowned international musicians gather in the public space of Havana’s historic center. Most of the old city’s concert halls and courtyard become the stages of classical musical productions.
The event is organized by the Habana Clásica Cultural Association (ACHC) based in Rome (Italy) and coproduced in Cuba by the Fondo de Arte Joven (FAJ) and the Esteban Salas Musical Heritage Office of the Historian of the City of Havana (OHCH).
The FAJ is a platform that promotes artistic creation in Cuba, with the support of the lead donor, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), among other Cuban and foreign entities.
This year’s edition is dedicated to pay tribute to the famous Cuban flautist Roberto Ondina (1904-1963), and his invaluable contribution to Cuban cultural heritage. It is also a heartfelt tribute to the Arab world, to the ancestral richness of its own classical musical traditions.
In keeping with the very essence of Habana Clásica, the event brings together virtuoso artists of music and dance, some of them sons and daughters of the patio, others from distant lands, brought together in this prologue, accompanied by the chosen orchestras. Habana Clásica is produced by Lorenzo Suárez, under the artistic direction of founder Marcos Madrigal.
Together with the FAJ, the Esteban Salas Musical Heritage Office provides assistance and management, with the support of the Cuban Institute of Music (ICM) and the Ministry of Culture (MINCULT).
Habana Clásica has had a great impact on the socio-cultural reality of the city since its first edition in 2017. The encounter began with a focus on the universal chamber music repertoire. It grew in subsequent editions to become a world-class interdisciplinary project, a place in which diverse artistic manifestations intertwine and celebrate the city of Havana. Classical music is, as a perennial, enduring and enriching our reality through art.
Since the beginning of its conception, the festival is based on three aspects: the concerts, the Master Classes, and the social projects. In this year’s edition of Habana Clásica, the focus of attention on those aspects is stronger than ever.
Under the theme of education, to extend Cuban and universal cultural heritage, classical masterclasses will be held to promote the art form, bringing it to a wider international audience.
Habana Clásica is also a social project: to organize artistic events for those who cannot attend, bringing the world of classical music to children in the pediatric ward of the Oncology Hospital, and members of the Elderly Program of the Convent of Bethlehem, activities organized in collaboration with the Swiss NGO, mediCuba-Suiza, and the Office of the City Historian.
The festival brings together different artistic events that take place in the main concert halls of the City of Havana, the City Historian’s Office: Martí Theater, Basílica Menor del Convento de San Francisco de Asís, Oratorio de La Habana Francisco de Asís, Oratorio de San Felipe Neri, Sala Cervantes, Iglesia de Paula, and others.
Sponsorship is provided by the Swiss Embassy in Cuba as lead donor, together with Edelweiss Airlines, mediCuba-Suiza, the Italian Embassy in Cuba, UNESCO, Goethe Institut, along with other sponsors including various European embassies (Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and France).
Come and immerse yourself in the world of classical music at Habana Clásica in the vibrant reality of the city, Havana. This November 18 to December 3—be there!
From our staff writers and editors.
