Alina de los Milagros Orraca Llama, Alina Orraca, the renowned choir director, was born in Havana in December 1957. She studied choral conducting at the National School of Art (120th Street between 9th and 13th Streets, Cubanacán, Playa, Havana), graduating in 1975 and in 1981 under the tutelage of Digna Guerra. She completed her studies at the Higher Institute of Art of Cuba.

Alina Orraca founded the Chamber Choir of the National School of Music (120th Street between 9th and 13th Streets, Cubanacán, Playa, Havana) in 1979. That same year, she and this choir won second prize at the 8th Young Musicians and Performing Arts Competition held in Vienna, Austria. This was the first time a Cuban choir had performed in a foreign competition. She recorded two albums with this choir, in 1979 and 1987, respectively.

She served as head of the Choral Conducting Department at the National School of Art (120th Street between 9th and 13th, Cubanacán, Playa, Havana) for a period of 22 years, during which time she developed the Curriculum for the specialty, which survives today. She also worked at another important musical institution in the country, the Amadeo Roldán Conservatory (Rastro No. 1 and Espada, Centro Habana, Havana).

Since then, he has taught various symposiums, workshops, and courses in different countries, including Cuba, Spain, Venezuela, Brazil, Sweden, Argentina, and Nicaragua. An example of this is evident in his 1982 trip to Nicaragua, where he developed the curriculum for the Choral Conducting specialty, enlisted the Nicaraguan National Choir to record an album, and tour Russia.

In 1993, Alina Orraca founded her own choral group, which she named Schola Cantorum Coralina. She serves as its director. It is made up of more than a dozen members. Along with this, she led the direction of the well-known Cantorías de Coralina program, through which she provides choral work with children. In 2003, as part of this project, she founded the Children and Youth Choir, made up of selected talents from Cantorías attendees, ranging in age from 6 to 14.

The Schola Cantorum Coralina and maestro Alina Orraca performed in Venezuela in 1994 at the 5th Vinicio Adames Choir Festival, followed by a tour of that nation. Also that year, they were invited to participate in the Ibero-American Music Assembly in Spain.

Alina Orraca and her group performed a series of concerts in one of Brazil’s most famous cities, Sao Paulo, in 1997. That year, she participated in the creation of two choirs, which are now under her direction: the Choir of the Escolanía de la Capilla del Rosario and the Archdiocesan Choir of Havana.

In 1998, Orraca undertook one of the most significant endeavors of his artistic career: he directed and prepared the music for the Mass presided over by Pope John Paul II in José Martí Revolution Square in Havana, Cuba. In addition to the Schola Cantorum Coralina, 420 singers and the Cuban National Symphony Orchestra participated in this celebration under his direction.

With Coralina, Alina participated in the Liturgy of the Word Ceremony, also performed by His Holiness at the Havana Cathedral (Empedrado 156, Habana Vieja, Havana). As a result of the work carried out by this young choral group, they traveled to the Vatican that same year to perform as the principal choir in St. Peter’s Square for a public audience with the Pope. They also performed their vocals at the Basilica of St. John Lateran during the Corpus Christi Mass presided over by His Holiness.

In 1999, Alina Orraca traveled to São Paulo, Brazil, as a guest professor at the Universidad Sagrado Corazón in Bauru. Her primary purpose was to advise and prepare the Veritas Choir for their performance at the Mapa Cultural del Estado event, where they won Third Prize and a Mention for the best performance of the competition’s compulsory work. In São Paulo, she taught choral directors courses in choral conducting and vocal technique. In 2000, she returned to Brazil to work with the same choir for their performance at the Habanera Competition at the Torrevieja Festival in Spain, where they won the award for the best performance of the work from their country of origin.

In July of that same year, she participated as a professor in Mexico City at the Third National Choral Symposium, whose theme was The Development of Children’s Choral Music; in October, she appeared as a speaker in Valladolid, Spain, at the conference “Art, Music, and Sacredness.”

Alina Orraca has participated in numerous events related to her specialty, where she has shared experiences with other professionals and taught workshops, courses, and master classes both in Cuba and abroad. In countries such as Venezuela, Argentina, Ecuador, Mexico, Spain, and Sweden, she has offered her knowledge of choral conducting techniques and Cuban music by various composers. She has also participated in the following events: America Cantat IV Festival (Mexico, 2004); America Cantat V (Havana, 2007); the Canadian Federation of Chorpodium Choirs Meeting (2006); the British Columbia Music Education Association Conference (2006); the Polyfollia Festival (France, 2006); and the Ontario Music Education Association Conference (2007).

He has shared the stage with great figures of music such as: Werner Pfaff (Germany), Mikis Teodorakis (Greece), Stefanos Tsialis (Greece), Jean Paul Penin (France), Pierre Cao (Luxembourg) and the Cuban maestros Ivan del Prado, Guido López-Gavilán and Leo Brower.

He has contributed music to soundtracks for Cuban films such as Derecho de Asilo, Kleines Tropicana, Hasta Victoria Siempre, and themes for television series.

Together with the Schola Cantorum Coralina, he has recorded a total of six albums, such as Coralina and Songs from the Mass of the Pope in Havana.

In Cuba, Orraca organizes, with the support of the Higher Institute of Art of Havana (Calle 120 No. 1110 between 9th and 13th, Cubanacán, Playa, Havana), specialized courses in vocal techniques and musical styles, in the form of workshops and postgraduate courses, for the development of Cuban singers, conductors, and teachers. These courses are taught by prominent foreign conductors, including Joseph Cabré (Spain), Iosu Okiñena (Basque Country), Mike Brewer (Great Britain), and Kenneth Nafzinger (USA).

Currently, Orraca and the members of her Schola Cantorum Coralina are involved in a UNESCO project. Through it, they support and direct a total of eleven children’s choir groups. These children’s choirs in Havana are made up of children between the ages of three and fifteen. This work with children has been one of Alina Orraca and the Schola Cantorum Coralina’s contributions to Cuban music, resulting in the development of a National Children’s Choir Movement in the country.

With his group he has won important awards at numerous choral music festivals: Third Prize for Habanera at the 18th Habaneras and Polyphonies Competition in Torrevieja, Spain (1999); Second Prize at the 18th Villa de Avilés International Choral Competition, Spain (2001); Five Prizes at the 36th Tolosa International Choral Competition, Basque Country (2004); Three Prizes at the 7th Trelew International Choral Competition, Argentina (2005); Prize for Best Performance of Venezuelan Popular Music at the 8th D´Canto International Festival, Margarita Island, Venezuela (2005); Five Prizes at the 234th Guido d´Arezzo International Polyphonic Competition (2006); First Prize for Venezuelan Madrigal, mixed voices, at the 10th D’CANTO International Festival, Margarita Island, Venezuela (2007).

For her distinguished professional career, Alina Orraca has received important awards in the musical world, such as the “Centenario de la Edad de Oro” Award, granted by the Ministry of Culture to artists and teachers with recognized achievements in their work with children and young people; the Medal for Cuban Education, the Medal for Cuban Culture, the “Alejo Carpentier” Medal, the Diploma of Pedagogical Merit, and the “Amadeo Roldán” Diploma awarded by the National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba for her outstanding achievements and contributions to the Development of Music.

Alina Orraca is considered one of the most illustrious choir directors and educators in Cuban music, having contributed to the development and expansion of choral music in Cuba.

Discography: Coralina (1996), Songs from the Pope’s Mass in Havana (1998), Coralina for a while (1998), Sing to me (2001), In what sung way (2003), Eternally in me (2006).