In Cuba, among the most important conductors of concert music orchestras in the 20th century (1980-1999), the following stand out: Jesús Ortega, Guido López-Gavilán del Rosario; Elena Herrera, Jorge López Marín; Iván Valiente; Zenaida Castro Romeu; María Elena Mendiola Orozco; Enrique Pérez Mesa and Iván del Prado Ariosa.

Jesús Ortega, Cuban guitarist and composer, began his artistic career forming a guitar duo with Leo Brouwer in 1956, with the support of the Vision Film Club, of which they were both members. In 1959, he was appointed director of the Eastern Army’s Music Band and director of the Art Department, advisor to the Department of Conservatories of the Ministry of Education, and head of the Department of Concerts, Orchestras, and Bands. In 1995, he founded his group, Sonantas Habaneras, a guitar orchestra that has toured throughout Cuba and has enjoyed great success at international festivals in Europe and the Americas.

Maestro Guido López-Gavilán del Rosario is a Cuban conductor and composer who for many years has supported the development of the Cuban Youth Symphony Movement. His commitment to promoting the creation of symphony and chamber orchestras is noteworthy. Proof of this is his establishment and direction of the Camerata Brindis de Salas in the late 1970s. Since 1995, he has founded and directed the Música Eterna Chamber Orchestra, combining his artistic and educational work to unleash his profound passion for universal music.

He has been running the Amadeo Roldán Youth Philharmonic Orchestra for several years, a group from the Amadeo Roldán Conservatory (Rastro No. 1 and Espada, Centro Habana, Havana), where they have begun the beautiful task of incorporating scores from the universal symphonic repertoire to their students.

He has won awards in competitions such as the National Composition Competition convened by UNEAC (17th Street between G and H Streets, Vedado, Plaza de la Revolución, Havana) and the Adolfo Guzmán Cuban Music Competition, as well as the New Music Festival in Winnipeg, Canada, where he won the Audience Award. His renowned prestige as a composer and symphony conductor are qualities that distinguish him as a musician whose name transcends Cuba’s borders.

Elena Herrera is a Cuban conductor who served as general director of the Cuban National Opera (TLNC) between 1985 and 1992. Her work as an opera director has been extremely extensive, including a variety of titles in her repertoire with the national company. In 1988, she offered concert selections from Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin with the National Symphony Orchestra. In 1996, she conducted the memorable performances marking the centennial of the world premiere of Puccini’s La bohème at the Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid.

Jorge López Marín is an important composer and conductor, who made his conducting debut with the Cuban National Symphony Orchestra. Throughout his career, he has tutored numerous national and international orchestras. His compositions include works for symphony, band, choir, piano, harp, and various instrumental ensembles. His teaching career includes teaching in the Orchestral Conducting Department at the Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA) (1110 Calle 120 between 9th and 13th, Cubanacán, Playa, Havana) and writing the program Música de Cámara for CMBF Radio Musical Nacional. He holds a PhD in Art Sciences; he is a member of the UNEAC Musicians Association and holds the Distinction for National Culture.

Iván Valiente is a Cuban double bassist and orchestra conductor who, for many years of his artistic career, served as general director of the Ensemble Solistas de La Habana. He also deserves recognition for his work as an instrumentalist, having made excellent recordings in the discography and filmography of the Caribbean island. He is an advisor to the National Program for the Development of Chamber Music at the Cuban Institute of Music. He is also the director of the Solistas de La Habana Orchestra, a group he founded in 1998.

He recently had a praised teaching participation with a group of American artists, teaching various classes that included a workshop on Cuban music at the Oratorio San Felipe Neri (Aguiar corner Obra Pía, Old Havana. Havana).

Zenaida Castro Romeu is also a prestigious Cuban conductor and choral director. This magnificent woman founded Camerata Romeu in 1993. Her musical offering is based on a string ensemble inherited from Central European tradition, which is especially dedicated to the performance, promotion, and recognition of chamber music. She currently hosts a brilliant television program titled Otros Tiempos (Other Times). Cuban music is the theme, and guest musicians are its protagonists. Zenaida, as she is also known to the public, is a creative woman with a very personal style.

María Elena Mendiola Orozco is a Cuban conductor and music producer who began her career in 1980 as guest conductor of the Matanzas, Santiago de Cuba, and Camagüey Symphony Orchestras. Five years later, she made her debut as guest conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra. She works as a music producer at the Company of Recordings and Musical Editions (EGREM) (1008 3rd Street between 10th and 12th Streets, Miramar, Playa, Havana). Her productions have won awards, including the Cubadisco Grand Prize (2001) for the anthology The Guitarist’s Work of Leo Brouwer.

She is the principal conductor of the Havana Soloists Chamber Orchestra, a position she has held since 2009; she is the president of the National Program for Symphonic Development; and she is a professor in the orchestral conducting department of the Instituto Superior de Arte (1110 Calle 120 between 9th and 13th, Cubanacán, Playa, Havana).

Enrique Pérez Mesa is a renowned orchestra conductor. His career began in 1991 with the Matanzas Symphony Orchestra, where he performed sublimely. Two years later, he was appointed Principal Conductor of the Matanzas Concert Band. He performed the Cuban premiere of the complete five concertos for piano and orchestra by Héctor Villa Lobos. He has also recorded music for Cuban and Spanish films. He has given master classes in orchestral conducting in several countries and has also served as a jury member in significant international competitions. He has received numerous awards, such as the Laureate Seal and the Distinction for National Culture; the Coat of Arms of the City of Sabaudia, Italy; and the Prodigal Son of the City of Matanzas.

Iván del Prado Ariosa is a prestigious Cuban conductor who has served as principal conductor of the Cuban National Symphony Orchestra since 1994, alongside Maestro Leo Brouwer (General Director). At the helm, he has displayed a grand artistic vision, including more than 300 concerts in several permanent seasons, educational concerts, the recording of two albums, television and radio programs, film music direction, and national and international tours. He holds the highest distinction awarded by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Cuba to individuals who have made a significant contribution to the cultural life of our country.