Outstanding events: Meeting of Popular Voices

The Cuban Capital is getting ready to host this year, from 28 September to 4 October, the fourth Meeting of Popular Voices, whose founder and director is the Cuban singer and compose Argelia Fragoso. The event is sponsored by the Cuban Institute of Music, the National Center of Popular Music and with the support of Colibrí Productions and Casa de las Américas.

There will be a first class line-up including performances by the Peruvian singer-songwriter, Tania Libertad. Based in Mexico, Tania has been absent from Cuban stages for more than 20 years. The Uruguayan singer and composer, Jorge Drexler will make his first visit to the island and will be accompanied by his band. Jorge Drexler won an Oscar in 2005 for the best original song with Al otro lado del río, in the biographical film Motorcycle Diaries, or Diarios de motocicleta, dealing with the trips by Ernesto Ché Guevara across South America. Argentina will be represented by poet Mariano Pini and composer and guitarist Jorge Giuliano, who was the guitar accompanist to singer Mercedes Sosa , a.k.a La Negra during her career.

At Casa de las Américas the program includes three-day International Workshops on Popular Singing, conducted by Argelia Fragoso and with master classes and conferences on topics such as on-stage development, diction and voice, as well as repertoire selection. Besides the concerts by invited artists, there will be CD and book sales, and photo exhibits. That’s in the Casa de las Americas, in Havana from the 28th of September to the 4th of October.