The Matanzas Chamber Choir was founded on March 13, 1961, by Octavio Marín. It was later directed by Félix Rodríguez Espada and is currently under the tutelage of José Antonio Méndez Valencia, who has held this position since 1986.

The choir is currently composed of young singers who graduated from the Matanzas Conservatory of Music. Its repertoire includes works in a variety of musical styles, ranging from 16th-century polyphony to contemporary choral music.

In 1981, they premiered Mikis Ehcodorakis’s “Canto General” in Nicaragua. In 1989, they performed J. S. Bach’s “Motet III” at the National Chamber Music Festival. That same year, they also performed at the Hanna Eisler International Choir Festival in Germany and gave concerts at the Gewandhaw Hall in Leipzig.

In 2008, its members took part in the Corazón Adentro Culture Mission, working for eight months providing educational and musical training to Venezuelan children and young people.

They represented Cuba at the 54th International Habanera and Polyphony Competition in Torrevieja, Spain. They performed a 20-minute program of habaneras, including Niña Mercé, El dique de Levante, and others from their repertoire. They also included polyphonies, including a work by the prominent Cuban composer Roberto Valera.

In 2010, their schedule included performances in almost every municipality in the province of Matanzas, as well as at the Agüica prison in the municipality of Colón; in schools and workplaces in the city; at the opening of the Danzando Festival; in addition to multiple concerts at the Monserrate Hermitage and a special concert at the Havana Church of Paula.

On its 40th anniversary, they premiered the Cuban Mass dedicated to Our Lady of Charity of Cobre by award-winning composer José María Vitier. They began the event commemorating the 50th anniversary of its founding with a concert at the historic site in Cuba, about 180 kilometers southeast of Havana. On this occasion, they performed a piece from the sacred repertoire, the Argentine Chacarela, and even an original song by Miguel Matamoros. The Opus V string quartet, under the direction of Irina Vázquez, was the special guest.

This choral group has performed symphonic and choral works, including L. V. Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony; W. A. ​​Mozart’s Requiem; Michel Legrand’s Concert Oratorio; Mikis Theodorakis’s Canto General; and F. Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The ensemble also premieres compositions by Cuban composers, such as Beatriz Corona’s Mass and works by Guido López Gavilán, Roberto Valera, and Jorge López Marín.

The Matanzas Chamber Choir holds its Spring Choral Concerts in the city of Matanzas, which take place in April. For this event, it prepares a program featuring premiere works by world and Cuban composers. At this event, it shares the stage with choirs from other provinces. It also sponsors the community choir project “Cantemos” (Let’s Sing), which spans all neighborhoods in the province of Matanzas.

They have participated in concert tours in Cuba, where they have performed at the Minor Basilica of the Convent of San Francisco de Asís (Oficios between Amargura and Churruca, Old Havana, Havana) and at the Amadeo Roldán Theater (Calzada and D, Vedado, Plaza de la Revolución, Havana), among others. Abroad, they have presented their music in numerous nations and competitions, such as: Nicaragua; Santo Domingo; Leipzig International Choir Festival in Germany; José Antonio Calcaño International Choir Festival in Venezuela; Guayaquil International Choir Festival, Ecuador 2003; Mondial Choral de Québec in Canada, in 2005; and the 56th Edition of the International Habaneras and Polyphony Competition, Torre Vieja, Spain 2008. They have also participated in all editions of the Santiago de Cuba International Choir Festival.

She has shared the stage with various groups, including the Yale University Choir, the New Singers of Amsterdam Choir, and the Canadian project Sharing a New Song, to name just a few from the international scene.

Among his awards is a commemorative plaque, presented in 2008 by the president of the Rotary Club of Torrevieja, Mr. Ramón Luis Sabater Ruíz.