The Trovarroco Trio is a prominent Cuban group founded in 1999 in Villa Clara by concert guitarist Rachid López. Initially, it was known as the Art and Style String Trio. Its members, in addition to Rachid López, who serves as director and guitarist, are César Bacaró (acoustic bass) and Maykel Elizarde (tres).

It is an ensemble that cultivates concert music. Its repertoire includes works from the 15th and 16th centuries, as well as Latin American and Cuban pieces, which are adapted to concert music through arrangements.

This Cuban trio’s debut album, Sueño de un despertar (Dream of an Awakening), was conceived in 2000 under the BIS MUSIC label, whose catalog includes exclusive talent. They received three nominations at the 2001 Cubadisco International Fair for this album.

Trovarroco undertook their first international tour in November 2002, as members of the Cuban delegation to the Guadalajara International Book Fair in Mexico. On that occasion, they performed with renowned Cuban musicians such as Compay Segundo, Eliades Ochoa, José María Vitier, Omara Portuondo, Amaury Pérez, Vicente Feliú, and Marta Valdez, among others.

The following year, they performed at the First National Longhouse Festival in Vancouver, Canada, and at the Banorte Centennial celebration in Mexico City. That same year, 2003, they released their second album, Juramento.

The Trovarroco Trio performed in ten cities in Germany in January 2004 as part of the show Live from Buena Vista Havana Lounge. In April, they traveled to Mexico City, where they participated in the Feria de la Palabra (Word Fair). There, they gave recitals at several universities and at the Banamex fairgrounds; at the latter, they shared roles with Guadalupe Pineda. As guests of singer-songwriter Silvio Rodríguez, in September, they launched Cita con Ángeles (Cita con Ángeles), the Cuban troubadour’s latest album, in Spain. They also performed twice with Silvio at the Karl Marx Theater (1010 1st Ave., Miramar, Playa, Havana) in Havana. At the end of the year, they traveled again with the show Live from Buena Vista Havana Lounge, to Germany and Austria.

In 2005, they embarked on a national tour with Silvio Rodríguez, during which they toured seven Cuban cities. With Silvio, they traveled to Chile and Argentina, where they performed at the Víctor Jara and Luna Park stadiums, respectively; in May, they went to Mexico, performing at the National Auditorium and the Zócalo; in July, they went to Spain, showcasing their music in Córdoba and Barcelona. As members of Live from Buena Vista Havana Lounge, they visited Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.

The following year, Trovarroco performed three concerts in the Dominican Republic, again sharing the stage with Silvio Rodríguez. They continued to form the Buena Vista Havana Lounge, with which they traveled to Italy, Austria, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Romania. Around this time, they performed other concerts in venues in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Spain, and England, in the latter two countries with Silvio.

In 2009, they participated with Silvio Rodríguez in the Peace Without Borders Concert, held in Havana’s Revolution Square. A year later, the members of Trovarroco were awarded the Distinction for Cuban Culture.

The Trovarroco River has also performed at various activities and events. These include the Concert for the Chinese Ambassador; the closing ceremony of the event dedicated to Martí at the Félix Varela Higher Pedagogical Institute in Villa Clara; the inauguration of the 7th Mario Rodríguez Alemán National Film Criticism Workshop in Villa Clara; and the opening concert of the national event “Voices of the Republic” in Sancti Espiritu Santo.

He has shared the stage with musicians such as Silvio Rodriguez, Marta Valdez, Fito Paez, Manuel Argudin, Pio Leiva, Guillermo Rubalcaba, Compay Segundo, Eliades Ochoa, Daniel Alayo, Luis Valiente (Betun), Julio Fernandez, Jose Maria Vitier, Omara Portuondo, Amaury Perez, Vicente Feliu, among others.

Trovarroco has left its musical mark on albums by other Cuban groups and musicians, such as the album by the Evocación Duo, by singer Rochy, by Augusto Blanca, among others.

Discography: Dream of an Awakening (2000); Oath (2003)