Awards, talents and artistic education in Cuba

Little has been published so far about the flattering results that Cuban children and youths achieved in the second Latin American piano competition America for All, held online from November 1 to 19.

The fact that five of our arts students earned prizes in this prestigious contest speaks volumes about the strength of our art schools, their teachers and the consecration of those students, who trained and gave it all they got in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Albeit they are sometimes overlooked, these are important news, given that the Cubans won a good share of the prizes after competing with participants from Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala and Venezuela.

“This event, organized by the Society of Pianists and Teachers of Latin America and the Caribbean, recognized the quality of the musicians in training and, of course, of their teachers,” said the renowned Cuban pianist María de los Ángeles Horta, teacher of Emely Elizabeth Rufín Lezcano, a ten-year-old from the Vocational School of Arts of the province of Matanzas who won the prize for Small Latin American Pianist B with a program of four works, including her father’s Fantasía guajira (A peasant’s fantasy), which earned her the Special Prize for the execution of a Latin American work.

María de los Ángeles praised the girl's dedication to the the instrument, although on the day of the awards, when we were all connected and, of course, anxiously waiting, Emily wanted to play with some friends. The news surprised her in the middle of their game, and all she could do was smile, said the teacher.

She acknowledged the difficulties of this time of social isolation, distance education and the use of social networks to give students precise indications, whereas the joy of seeing each other again in class and the confidence that Emily, like the other winners, will have other opportunities and awards for their talent and quality.

Malva Rodríguez González, 18, winner of the second prize in the Young Latin American Virtuoso category, showed her emotions while playing six pieces of authors such as Bach, Mozart, Chopin, Rachmaninov and Heitor Villa-Lobos.

“What I feel when I perform depends not only on the piece itself, but also on the context, in this case a competition, where I have to be very focused. Sometimes it can even be stressful, but in the end I always enjoy it. For me it's about knowing the composers’ pieces well and trying to represent them as best I can, so that the audience can appreciate as I do the wonder of each phrase,” she said.

“In a performance, you are communicating all the time. I am happy for the prize I received, but what really fills me and stays with me is all the work I have done and realize how much I have learned in a year of being isolated with my piano because of the pandemic, the discipline, etc.,” she added. “That’s what really makes me proud and what I will always carry with me thanks to this experience”.

The purpose of this competition is to spread the talent of young students and composers and to pay tribute to those who devote many hours to teaching and building confidence. The Cubans won most of the prizes, a guarantee that they are bound to become experienced musicians and piano virtuosos.