Elena Herrera, a distinguished Cuban orchestra conductor, was born on August 15, 1948, in Cabaiguán, formerly in the province of Las Villas. She dedicated herself to music after abandoning her studies in Philosophy and Literature. It was then that she began to acquire knowledge of piano and music theory.

She graduated in 1972 from the National School of Art (120th Street between 9th and 13th, Cubanacán, Playa, Havana) and subsequently completed her musical training at the Higher Institute of Art (ISA) (1110 120th Street between 9th and 13th, Cubanacán, Playa, Havana), specializing in orchestral conducting. In the year of her graduation, she made her debut as an orchestra conductor, conducting the Matanzas Symphony Orchestra, and in 1990 she began serving as its principal conductor.

Elena Herrera worked as general director of the Cuban National Opera (TLNC) between 1985 and 1992. Her work as an opera director has been extremely extensive, including in her repertoire with the national company various titles such as: Il trovador (1985), La bohème (1986), The Barber of Seville (1987), Hemingway (1987, world premiere), Faust (1987), Cavalleria rusticana (1987), Aida (1988), Tosca (1989), Paria (1990), La traviata (1992), Madama Butterfly (1994). With the National Symphony in 1988, she offered concert selections from Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin.

In 1990, she led the staging of Fernández Montesinos’s El barberillo de Lavapiés at the 1st Ibero-American Zarzuela Festival. This distinguished Cuban musician has performed in several countries, including Poland, with the Silesian Opera (1989), Brazil, and Spain.

In 1996, Elena Herrera conducted the memorable performances marking the centenary of the world premiere of Puccini’s La bohème at the Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid. She has taught a wide range of musical disciplines. She also possesses an extensive collection of symphonic, symphonic-vocal, chamber music, and ballet works. She currently resides in Spain.