Digna Guerra, Cuban choral conductor, was born in Havana on August 6, 1945. She completed her initial musical studies with professors Ofelia Busquet and Fé Castillo. She later enrolled at the Havana Conservatory, where she began specializing in piano.

His first choral conducting studies were with Gisela Hernández. He then enrolled at the Havana Choral School, where he graduated with degrees in Choral Conducting and Choral Singing. He later studied at the Hanns Eisler Hochschule fur Musik, where he earned degrees in Choral Conducting with Professor Horst Muller, Piano with Eberhardt Rebling, and Voice with Willie Feldman, earning a scholarship to study Orchestral Conducting. At this institution, he earned top grades in all his specialties, which led to his receiving an Honors Diploma with commendations and a scholarship to pursue a specialty in Orchestral Conducting.

In 1962, she began her career as an art instructor. In 1975, she was appointed director of the Cuban National Choir. With this group, she has carried out an important cultural and promotional work for the most outstanding works of the universal repertoire. In 1976, she began teaching as a chairperson and professor. She currently holds a tenured position at the Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA) (1110 Calle 120 between 9th and 13th, Playa, Havana, Cuba).

In 1981, he founded the Entrevoces Chamber Choir, a group with which he has received numerous international accolades, distinguished for its sound quality and refined interpretation of works from the universal repertoire. He also directs the Cantorías Project of the Cuban National Choir, which brings together hundreds of children who form a children’s choir and a youth choir.

Digna Guerra founded and directed the Gran Canaria Philharmonic Orchestra Choir for a year. As President of the Cuban Choir Association, she participated in the organizing committee of the First Cuba-United States International Choral Festival held in Havana in May 2000.

As a singer, he has performed in works such as: Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, Michel Legrand’s Oratorio Concerto and Mikis Teodorakis’s Canto General.

He has recorded several film soundtracks, including: The Age of Enlightenment, The Last Supper, Technique of Mourning, Patakín, etc. He has directed and produced four albums for the EGREM record label: “Vueltecita,” “Aporreumbosis,” “O vos Omnes,” and “Tu Son Entero.” He has also produced albums for Gofio Records in Spain, and two CDs for the Abdala record label: “Que Rico é” and “De una Manera Mejor.” He released the album “Contemporáneos Entre Voces” for the Cuban Institute of Music’s Colibrí record label, and “De Todo Corazón” with the Cuban National Choir. He recorded for Radio France with the Cuban National Choir and for a German record label, “Los Planetas de Holst.”

With the National Choir and Entrevoces, he has toured extensively and participated in several competitions in countries such as France, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Spain, Venezuela, and Canada, among others. He has conducted various music and choral conducting workshops in Germany, Jamaica, Barbados, Nicaragua, Peru, Curaçao, Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico, Spain, the former Yugoslavia, Poland, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, and the United States.

She is the director of the following choral groups: National Choir of Cuba, Entrevoces Chamber Choir, Children’s and Youth Choir, and Madrigalistas Choir of the Palace of Fine Arts in Mexico City; president of the Cuban Choral Association, member of the National Council of UNEAC, vice president of the Caribbean Choral Federation, member of the World Federation of Choirs, professor at the Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA) (Calle 120 No. 1110 e/ 9na y 13, Playa, Havana, Cuba), member of the Cuban Committee of the International Music Council of UNESCO and of the Cuban Peace Movement.

Digna Guerra has received numerous awards and recognitions: First place awards in various competitions and festivals in Spain, Germany, Belgium, and Spain. In 1990, she won the Best Performance of Cuban Music Award at the Havana Chamber Music Competition. In 1997, at the 29th International Mass Choral Competition in Tolosa, Spain, she received First Prize and a Gold Trophy in the Secular Music category. Second Prize and a Silver Trophy in the Sacred Music category. She also won the Audience Award. In 1999, at the International Choir Festival “Harmonie 99” in Lindenholzhausen, Germany, she won First Prize with Gold Certification in the Vocal Jazz category. First Prize with Silver Certification in the Madrigal category. Second Prize with Gold Certification in the Mixed Choir category. She also received a Special Award from the German Government for being the choir with the highest number of points. That same year, at the Marktoberdof International Choir Competition in Germany, they won Third Prize in the First Level International Excellence Category, and at the Maasmechelen International Choir Competition in Belgium, they won First Prize in the Chamber Choir category.

In 2000, she won an award at the 4th International Cuban Record Fair “CUBADISCO 2000” in the Choral Music category with the CD “O vos Omnes”, produced and directed by herself for the record label EGREM. During that same year she won First Prize and Grand Prize in the Children’s Choral Competition “Voces del Mañana” with the Children’s Choir of the National Choir of Cuba. In 2004 she won an award at the Habaneras Festival in Torre Vieja, Spain, in the Habaneras category and the Audience Award, and in 2006 she won the Cubadisco 2006 Award in the Choral Music category, with the CD “De todo Corazón”. With the record label Colibrí, in 2007 she won Second Prize in the vocal ensemble category and Third Prize in the open category of the 36th Florilege Vocal International Choir Competition in Tours, France.

His distinctions include the First Degree Order of Félix Varela; the Commemorative Medal for the Centennial of the Birth of National Poet Nicolás Guillén; the Distinction for National Culture; the Order of Cuban Education; the Seal of August 23; the Replica of General Máximo Gómez’s Machete; the Raúl Gómez García Medal; the Havana Giraldilla; the Laureate’s Seal; the National Vanguard; the Coat of Arms of the City of Santiago de Cuba; and the Distinguished Guest of the City of Bayamo.

Digna Guerra is the 2006 National Music Prize winner; this award reflects her lifelong dedication to the sacred practice of music through voice.