Sonatas Habaneras, a Cuban guitar group, founded in 1995 by maestro Jesús Ortega, professor at the Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA) (Calle 120 No. 1110 e/ 9na y 13. Cubanacán. Playa. Havana), Doctor Honoris Causa in Arts, and recipient of the Distinction for National Culture and the National Award for Artistic Teaching, a man who has known how to alternate his work as a guitarist with that of a tireless pedagogue, music editor and cultural promoter.

Sonatas is Cuba’s youngest guitar orchestra and has its permanent home at the Amadeo Roldán Theater (Calzada y D, Vedado, Plaza de la Revolución, Havana). This group today demonstrates the value and relevance of Cuban guitar playing, boasting a varied program that combines classic and popular styles.

The orchestra consists of fourteen guitarists who are alumni of the Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA) (Calle 120 No. 1110 between 9th and 13th. Cubanacán. Playa. Havana), in addition to the aforementioned maestro Ortega, who is considered one of the most representative names in the treasure of Cuban music of all time.

The name of the orchestra “Sonatas Habaneras,” to which the Japanese maestro Masaki Sakurai recently generously donated twelve magnificent guitars, comes from the nickname flamenco artists gave their guitars.

The group includes smaller ensembles: duos, trios, guitar quartets, and several soloists, as well as the Guitar Ensemble (all with guitars) and the Guitar Orchestra, incorporating requintos and bass guitars. This flexibility allows them to create very varied events without using all their musicians in each performance. Today, the orchestra is part of the National Center for Concert Music (Calzada y D, Vedado, Plaza de la Revolución, Havana) and the Cuban Institute of Music (Calzada y D, Vedado, Plaza de la Revolución, Havana).

Sonatas Habaneras is a group with over 15 years of experience and has received accolades not only in Cuba but also internationally. In June 2000, they went on a concert tour of Germany, where the orchestra performed in Weinheim, Fulda, Kassel, Hannover, Biedefeld, and Münster. They also performed with the Young Guitar Orchestra of Baden-Württemberg. Their performances were highly received by critics and the German public.

Between April and June 2004, the group embarked on a long tour of all of Cuba’s provinces, performing more than fifty concerts.

In 2009, the Miguelito Cuní Provincial Music Institute, in coordination with the Directorate of Culture, awarded Jesús Ortega and Sonantas Habaneras a recognition for being a jewel of Cuban culture. The award was presented by Yosniel Rivera Cabrera, director of the Pinar del Río guitar orchestra A tempo, the oldest such ensemble in the country.