Among the most important events held during this period are the Music Festivals. The triumph of the Revolution in 1959 marked a flourishing of the arts in Cuba.

At the beginning of the revolutionary process, musical and artistic education flourished, and a choral movement emerged with professional and popular influences, particularly in the cities of Havana and Santiago de Cuba.

Amateur choirs made up of children, students, and workers in general were organized throughout Cuba, and the initiative was also taken to create a professional choir in each of the former provinces to partially compensate for the lack of a tradition of instrumental music and bring choral music to the people.

The First National Choir Festival arose from this splendid new choral movement and was organized in 1961. The National Choir, the Santiago Orfeón, and the Camagüey Choir participated, directed by Serafín Pro, Electo Silva, and Guillermo Cortina, respectively. Two children’s choirs also participated: one from the Esteban Salas Conservatory in Santiago de Cuba (Santa Lucía No. 304 between San Félix and San Pedro, Santiago de Cuba), and the other from the José Martí National Library (Independence Avenue and 20 de Mayo Street, Plaza de la Revolución, Havana). The Second Baptist Church choir and the Bacardi Rum Company workers’ choir were also invited.

This Festival set the precedent for what would become later Festivals. Later, in the Second Festival, everything that had emerged spontaneously became institutionalized; choirs from across the country clearly and with perspective established their objectives in the introduction to the event’s general program.

Since the early 1960s, the Pepe Sánchez International Trova Festival has been held in the province of Santiago de Cuba, an annual event. Its fundamental objective is to foster a sociocultural environment that reaffirms Cuban idiosyncrasy and cultural identity through troubadour events.

The Casa de la Trova and Dolores Concert Hall in the province of Santiago de Cuba are the main venue for the International Trova Festival. Various artistic presentations are held in various locations, as well as conferences and workshops.

Furthermore, in 1967, the First Varadero Popular Song Festival was organized. The festival opened in December 1967, attracting 100,000 attendees. The press of the time described it as “The best of the best, within everyone’s reach.”

On that occasion, a total of 101 artists visited Cuba, and the Festival was attended by four countries.

This Popular Song Festival was revived in 1981 with great splendor under the leadership of Pablo Milanés. In 2008, the Cuban Ministries of Tourism and Culture undertook a third chapter, this time presided over by Juan Formell and under very different economic and social circumstances from the previous experiences.

The 2008 Varadero World Music Festival, held from June 11 to 15, proved to be the musical phenomenon of the year. It was dedicated to Africa-Cuba, on the fifth centenary of the arrival of Africans to Cuba.

During these festivals, Varadero has been the main venue for concerts, exhibitions, and dances that showcase the broad spectrum of Cuban music and showcase important international figures.

The Political Song Festival is the longest-running event sponsored by the Hermanos Saíz Association (AHS). This gathering, in addition to honoring the memory of fallen martyrs, aims to contribute to the promotion, cultivation, and development of troubadour songs with political and social content within the panorama of the young artistic avant-garde throughout the country.

As part of the program, concerts are taking place in various Guantánamo locations, including workplaces, education centers, and healthcare centers, as well as in the neighborhoods surrounding downtown.

The Adolfo Guzmán Cuban Music Competition, sponsored by the Cuban Institute of Radio and Television, is considered the most significant event for Cuban composers. It is a way to pay tribute to the renowned Cuban musician Adolfo Guzmán, whose first edition took place from June 28 to July 2, 1978.

Among the award-winning works are Mariposa, written by Pedro Antonio Romero and performed by Beatriz Márquez; Decirte cosas de amor, by Roberto Novo, performed by Diana Fuentes, and others.

In 1979, the Casa de las Américas Musicology Award was established by the Music Department of Casa de las Américas. Musicologists, musicians, educators, and other specialists from Latin America and the Caribbean interested in scientific knowledge, the preservation, and the development of the region’s musical culture meet at each edition.

Leading figures in the world of music, such as César Arróspide de la Flor (Peru), Leonora Saavedra (Mexico), Gustavo Becerra-Schmidt (Chile), Juan Pablo González (Chile), and Cubans María Teresa Linares, Leonardo Acosta, Victoria Eli, Danilo Orozco, Olavo Alén, and Carlos Fariñas, have served on the prestigious jury.