The Havana Chamber Orchestra (OCH) was created in May 2006 by Maestro Iván del Prado, who serves as its director.

This orchestra bears the same name as a group founded in the first half of the 20th century in Cuban music, which was directed by composer and conductor José Ardévol.

The Havana Chamber Orchestra is made up of highly talented and virtuoso young musicians, graduates of the Instituto Superior de Arte (1110 Calle 120 between 9th and 13th, Cubanacán, Playa, Havana). In their performances, they offer the public a select repertoire of works and composers rarely performed on Cuban stages.

The Orchestra’s repertoire includes pieces by prominent composers of world music such as Johann Friedrich Fasch and Ottorino Respighi, among others.

In February 2007, they performed at the Minor Basilica of the San Francisco de Así Convent (Offices between Amargura and Churruca, Old Havana, Havana), where they performed Serenade for String Orchestra, Op. 6, by Josef Suk; and Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra, Op. 36, by Frantisek Kramar-Krommer.

That same year, the OCH performed at the Amadeo Roldán Auditorium Theater (Calle Rastro No. 1, Habana Vieja, Havana), where it showcased an interesting program of excellent works, including Serenade in D Major, Kv. 239, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; Variations on a Theme by Frank Bridge, Op. 1 for string orchestra, by Benjamin Britten; The Unanswered Question, by Charles Ives; and Botticellian Triptych, by Ottorino Respighi.

This group has taken its music to various stages in Havana as well as spaces located in other Cuban provinces, such as: the Minor Basilica of the Convent of San Francisco de Asís (Offices between Amargura and Churruca, Old Havana, Havana), the Church of San Francisco de Paula (Ave. Del Puerto and San Ignacio, Old Havana, Havana), the Amadeo Roldán Auditorium Theater (Rastro Street No. 1, Old Havana, Havana) and the city of Holguín.

He has appeared in productions such as DVD Cuba, by the British rock group Simply Red, and Clásicos de Cuba, alongside Habana Ensemble and César López. He also made his mark in cinema when he recorded the music for Tomás Piard’s 2008 film El viajero inmóvil, composed by Juan Piñera.

It is considered by experts to be one of the best chamber music groups in contemporary Cuban music.