Eduardo Córdova Reyes is a well-educated percussionist and a naturally perceptive Cuban craftsman. He was born in 1963 in Havana. He graduated from the National School of Art Instructors in Cuba in 1982, and in 1989 he earned his degree as a Percussion Professor from the National Center for the Advancement of Artistic Teaching in Cuba. Since 1990, he has worked as a percussion professor at the Vocational School of Art.

This artist has put all his effort into acoustic music and the construction of drums that are coupled with visual creation, a kind of performance.

In 1992, she received recognition from the National Museum of Fine Arts of Cuba (Trocadero Street between Zulueta and Monserrate Streets, Old Havana, Havana) for her performance dedicated to Isadora Duncan. That same year, she gave lectures and demonstrations at the 4th Latin American and Caribbean Meeting of Artistic Education in Cuba.

In 1995, Córdova built a Seven-Sound Tambor (Seven-Sound Drum). It’s a kind of ensemble of batá drums, with a range of timbre possibilities and sonic qualities. An instrument that manages to create the sound of four percussionists and resonates with the timbre of three batá drums, plus the drum beat, blending traditional and contemporary elements, and which has given him the opportunity to play with great international musicians.

In 1997, he held an instrument exhibition at the Casa de África (Obraría No. 158, Habana Vieja, Havana) in Havana’s Historic Center; he also exhibited instruments at the 7th PERCUBA Percussion Festival. The following year, he held an exhibition and sale at the Leonardo da Vinci Gallery in Milan, Italy, and performed at the 1st Commercial Meeting of Cuban Products on Margarita Island, Venezuela. He participated in the Cubadisco 98 International Record Fair and the FIART International Handicraft Fair in Havana.

In 1999, he created his musical group, Obbara, which included several artists: singers, percussionists, and dancers. He again participated in the Cubadisco International Record Fair and the FIART International Crafts Fair in Havana. One of his pieces was selected by the Cuban Institute of Music to award the Old Trova of Santiago.

In 2000, he made a special appearance in the documentary “To Nigeria” on the occasion of the Ibero-American Summit. He participated in the colloquium on his artistic and musical work, a performance, and an exhibition at the IX International Percussion Festival PERCUBA 2000. He exhibited again at the Cubadisco International Record Festival, an event that included his work in the stage design for the awards ceremony held at the Avellaneda Hall of the National Theater of Cuba (Paseo and 39th Street, Vedado, Plaza de la Revolución, Havana).

A solo exhibition took place at the International Handicraft Fair at Pabexpo (Av. 17 No. 174, Playa, La Habana), Havana, in 2001. He later won the FIART Award at the International Handicraft Fair. Eduardo Córdova received an award from the Ministry of Culture for best show presented at Expocuba in the Culture Pavilion that year. He also appeared at an event organized by the Catholic University of Chile and at a Student Academic Colloquium at Diego Portales University in Chile.

In 2002, he returned to Chile to participate in the Folk Art Fair in Concepción, in the Percussion and Musical Development workshop at the “CADES” Social Training and Development Center, and in the opening and closing ceremonies of the First National Meeting of Youth Organizations. He also received recognition from the Kawin Samba School for a Cuban Percussion workshop. That same year, he traveled to France and Italy to perform at the Rouen Fair and the 10th Latin American Festival in Milan, respectively. In Verona, Italy, he held a solo exhibition representing Cuban culture at the Latin American Festival in that city.

In 2003, he was a special guest percussionist at the concert of merengue king Kinito Méndez (Dominican Republic) in Italy. That same year, he was presented with a carved drum in honor of the 40 years of artistic life of the Papines. This artist has captivated international critics and established himself at the events he attends.

He was named “The King of Cuban Music” at the Latin American Festival in Milan, following the opinion of art specialist and journalist Maximiliano Maggese, in an article in the newspaper II Giorno, who was present at a performance by the Cuban percussionist while he played his Tambor de Siete Bocas.

In 2004, he held a solo exhibition at the Havana Habano Festival at the Convention Center (146th Street, between 9th and 11th, Playa, La Habana) and also participated in the Drum Festival. He was selected to participate in the Universal Forum of Cultures in Barcelona, ​​Spain. A year later, he was chosen as a Special Guest percussionist for Oscar de León’s concert in Italy.

Córdova, also known as The King of Drums, ended 2006 with a resounding success in Europe. He performed at the Levante Fair, the most important trade and cultural event in Europe, after the German Fair. The Fair, now 70 years old, covers 150,000 square meters in the city of Bari, in southern Italy; it is a multicultural showcase that brings together local and international expressions of craftsmanship.

Eduardo Córdova, in addition to being a percussion teacher and Cuban creator of musical instruments, is also involved in preparing children to play the drum.