Carlos Fariñas, Cuban composer, was born in 1934 in Cienfuegos. He began learning musical concepts from his family. Later, he moved and settled in the Cuban city.

From a young age, his sensitivity and talent for music stood out, traits that led him to be a student of prestigious musicians and teachers that the country had at that time, such as José Ardevol, Harold Gramatges and Enrique González Mantici.

Carlos Fariñas participated in various music courses in different countries with the firm goal of expanding his musical knowledge. In 1956, he enrolled in courses offered by maestro Aaron Copland at the Berkshire Music Center in Tanglewood, United States. From 1961 to 1963, he studied at the prestigious Tchaikovsky Conservatory of Music in Moscow.

Fariñas’s musical creation encompasses a vast body of work that encompasses almost every musical genre and acoustic instrumental format (duos, trios, chamber orchestras, symphony orchestras, etc.). His musical output includes new musical trends of the 20th century, such as electroacoustic music.

He also worked and excelled in computer music, becoming a notable creator and educator in this field. In 1989, Fariñas founded the Electroacoustic Computer Music Studio at the Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA) (1110 Calle 120 between 9th and 13th, Playa, Havana, Cuba).

Fariñas died in Havana in 2002.

Carlos Fariñas is one of the most distinctive figures in 20th-century Cuban music. He is a pillar of avant-garde music of the 1960s.