In this stage of Cuban music of the 20th century (1980-1999), several instrumentalists stand out, among which the following should be mentioned: Francisco Fernández Tamayo (Frank Fernández), Ernesto Duarte Hernández, Efraín Amador, Sergio Vitier García-Marruz, Andrés Alén Rodríguez, José María Vitier García-Marruz, Jorge Luis Prats Soca, Ernán López-Nussa Lekszycki, Joaquín Clerch Días, Eduardo Córdova Reyes, Miguel Núñez Hernández, César López Corzo, Alberto Herrera, Descemer Bueno, Ilmar López-Gavilán Junco, Jorge Luis Garcell Santana, Niurka González, Amhed Mitchel, Aldo López-Gavilán Junco and Felipe Cabrera.

Francisco Fernández Tamayo (Frank Fernández) is a Cuban pianist, composer, concert artist, arranger, record producer, and pedagogue who, in 1988, premiered the five-part Beethoven concerto series with the National Symphony Orchestra on two consecutive nights. In 2004, the Higher Institute of Art of Cuba (ISA) (1110 Calle 120 between 9th and 13th, Cubanacán, Playa, Havana) awarded him the “Diploma of Honor” for artistic and pedagogical mastery; this was the second time in the history of Cuban arts.

The following year, Frank Fernández received the National Music Award for lifetime achievement; and in 2010, he received the “Maestro de Juventudes” Award. He has had a brilliant career as a concert artist, appearing in prestigious venues with a rich musical tradition in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. He is a member of the National Council of the UNEAC (National Council of Musicians of the United Nations) and an Artist of Merit of the organization. He is a Cuban musician of universal class and, in the opinion of experts and his people, one of the greatest exponents of our country’s culture of all time.

Ernesto Duarte Hernández, better known as Tito Duarte, was a Cuban multi-instrumentalist who, from a very young age, stood out as a great instrumentalist and original arranger in his father’s orchestra.

Throughout his musical career, he has performed alongside prestigious artists such as Carles Benavent, Josep Mas “Kitflus,” Jorge Pardo, Max Sunyer, and Vlady Bas. He has collaborated with singer-songwriter Joan Manuel Serrat, both as a musician in his performances and on some of his albums.

Efraín Amador, a Cuban musician, began his international artistic career as a soloist and with the Chamber Duo in 1981, participating in tours and festivals throughout Europe, Africa, and Latin America. In 1987, he and his partner founded “La Peña del Arte” in their home in Guanabacoa. The event later relocated to the “Rita Montaner” Cultural Center.

His work has led him to join and direct the Amanecer Trio, which includes his partner, Doris Oropesa, on piano, and his daughter, Ariadna Amador, who plays the tres. In this trio, Efraín plays the lute. With this group, he recorded the CD “Cubanías.”

He recently organized, together with Doris Oropesa, the 5th Plectro Habana Festival, a success that resonates in Cuba as one of the most important musical events of 2011.

Sergio Vitier García-Marruz is a great Cuban composer and concert musician, as well as one of the most important guitarists in our country. He began his artistic career with Los Armónicos in 1964. He later joined the Cuban Orchestra of Modern Music (1967-1969) and belonged to the ICAIC Sound Experimentation Group from its inception in 1969 until 1978. In 1968, he organized the group ORU.

One of the most energetic trends in his work as a composer has been the creation of film scores. This great musician has been awarded the Cubadisco Prize on several occasions. As a soloist and also with his group, he has performed on diverse international stages. His guitar playing talents are immense: a formidable left hand, a well-rounded concept of interpretation, and a vigorous sound make this composer one of Cuba’s greatest guitarists.

Andrés Alén Rodríguez is a prestigious pianist, composer, and educator; one of the most talented Cuban pianists of the second half of the 20th century. He served as professor and head of the piano department at the National School of Art (ENA) (120th Street between 9th and 13th Streets, Cubanacán, Playa, Havana) from 1979 to 1988. As an educator, he trained several generations of pianists.

This great musician has performed as a concert artist with the Matanzas Symphony Orchestra, Santiago de Cuba, the Nuestro Tiempo Instrumental Ensemble, and the National Symphony Orchestra. Along with Miriam Ramos, he won the 1999 Cubadisco Grand Prize and was nominated for the 2001 Latin Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Recording for his album, Pianoforte. He is a well-rounded musician; his gift as a communicator is evident in his approach to popular and classical music, and in his total mastery of his instrument.

José María Vitier García-Marruz is one of the greatest composers and pianists of our time in our country. He was nominated for the Latin Grammy Award among the five best classical music albums for his work “Salmo de las Américas” (Psalm of the Americas), and for Best Classical Music Album of 2000. In 2002, he won the award for his compilation “Canciones del Buen Amor” (Songs of Good Love).

This important musician has composed works for various media outlets, including television, film, theater, and radio, as well as children’s, chamber, and choral music. He has received important awards, including the Alejo Carpentier Medal and the Félix Varela Order in 2004; as well as the Distinction for National Culture awarded by the Council of State of the Republic of Cuba. José María Vitier was nominated for the Tomás Luis de Victoria Ibero-American Music Prize.

Jorge Luis Prats Soca is an internationally renowned Cuban concert pianist and teacher. His repertoire is extensive, including works by numerous composers. He has taught as a teacher at the National School of Art (120th Street between 9th and 13th Streets, Cubanacán, Playa, Havana) and at the University of Santander, Colombia. He has toured several countries.

This artist boasts a natural facility for playing the instrument and excellent pianistic skills. He has the ability to inspire the instrument as something very close, very intimate.

Ernán López-Nussa Lekszycki is a distinguished Cuban pianist and composer who has performed with leading artists. In 2000, he won the Latin Jazz Award at the Cubadisco Festival for his album Delirium. At Cubadisco 2002, he received a Latin Jazz Award, a Production Award, and a Grand Prize for From Habana to Río.

He is a vital Latin American pianist of recent times, distinguishing and defining the sound of a country that expresses and nourishes itself through music. Critics have hailed him as one of the great pianists who live in our Cuban music.

Joaquín Clerch Díaz is a Cuban guitarist who has performed on a wide variety of national and international stages. With the Gran Canaria Philharmonic Orchestra, he recorded the world premiere of Leo Brouwer’s El concierto le Havana in 1998 and Carlos Fariñas’s Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra in 1996, both composed especially for him.

His compositional credit includes the creation of his first Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra in 2001, which premiered with Ricardo Gallén in Torrent, Valencia, Spain. He currently works as a teacher at the Robert Schumann University of Music in Düsseldorf and continues to pursue a successful career as an instrumentalist.

Eduardo Córdova Reyes is a percussionist with academic training and a craftsman of natural insight. This artist has dedicated his entire effort to acoustic music and drum construction, which are combined with visual creation, a form of performance. In 1999, he founded his musical group, Obbara, comprised of several artists: singers, percussionists, and dancers.

He was dubbed “The King of Cuban Music” at the Latin American Festival in Milan. In addition to being a percussion teacher and innovator of musical instruments, he plays an important role in training children to play the drum.

Miguel Núñez Hernández is a distinguished Cuban pianist, composer, arranger, and conductor. He participates in contemporary music festivals, piano, choir, and other venues. His music is informed by different formats and a fusion of musical genres, resulting in a truly enriching result.

His considerable talent has led him to collaborate on recordings and concerts with national and international artists. In 1998, alongside his work with Pablo Milanés, he founded the group Miguel’s Trio, which also includes Luis Ángel Sánchez on bass and Osmany Sánchez. With this trio, he created the CD Azul, released under the Unicornio label.

César López Corzo is a saxophonist and one of Cuba’s most important jazz musicians. In 1997, he founded his group Habana Ensemble, which combines Latin jazz, fusion, and Cuban popular music. His recordings have received awards at the Cubadisco fairs, in 2006 for “Andante” and in 2008 for “Clásicos de Cuba,” which won the Grand Prize and clearly demonstrates the style of César López and his group Habana Ensemble. Among the highlights of his career is his performance, at the express invitation of Maestro Chucho Valdés, in the renowned concert he gave with Diego El Cigala in Havana in 2004.

He has given master classes at various universities: Center University, Universidad del Atlántico, Instituto de Superior de Arte (ISA) (1110 Calle 120 between 9th and 13th, Cubanacán, Playa, Havana); and also at various music conservatories, such as those in Cali, La Coruña, and London. Today, César López, along with his Habana Ensemble, is a jazz institution in Cuba and abroad.

Alberto Herrera, a distinguished Cuban flutist and orchestra conductor, was born in April 1970 in Palma Soriano, Santiago de Cuba province. Throughout his professional career, he has formed other Cuban groups, such as Sones de Oriente, with whom he recorded a CD. He has also shared the stage with prominent figures, most notably accompanying singer Magalis Bernal on his instrument. He has worked with Las Hermanas Ferrin, Adalberto Avila Candela, and Eliades Ochoa’s Cuarteto Patria.

In addition to the aforementioned names, there is also Oderquis Revé y su Changüí, an orchestra Herrera was a member of. Currently, he is working with his Charanga Cubana (Cuban Charanga). Their repertoire includes songs of his own.

Descemer Bueno is an important and popular composer, singer, double bassist, and percussionist. He has worked with important artists. He has collaborated on various albums, such as “Falange Caníbal” (which won a Latin Grammy for Best Brazilian Pop Album) with Lenine; “Náuseas de un siglo” and “Futuro inmediato” by Santiago Feliú, Cuba; “Trampa del tiempo” by Pável and Gema, Spain; and “Jazz timbero” by Bobby Carcassés, Cuba. He has produced, arranged, and composed for many young Cuban musicians.

With the song “Cuando me enamoro,” Descemer shared his experiences with musicians Enrique Iglesias and Juan Luis Guerra, who recorded this song, a reflection of friendship and different realities. The hit song spent 18 weeks at number one and garnered eight Billboard Award nominations and one Latin Grammy nomination for Song of the Year. Among his accolades is the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) award. He is a musician destined to make history in Cuban music; an exponent of an urban sound with an energetic contemporary vibe.

Equis Alfonso (X-Alfonso), Cuban pianist, bassist, singer, arranger, composer and producer; began his professional career after graduating in 1990, with the musical group Síntesis, which is directed by his parents, working as a composer, arranger, and keyboardist. His first arrangements are exhibited in several tracks on the album El hombre extraño, by Síntesis with Silvio Rodríguez. He joined the jazz group Estado de Animo, with Roberto Carcassés and others, with whom he participated in various Jazz Plaza Festivals in Havana. In 1992, he founded the rock group Havana.

In 1997, he was selected for a documentary about young Cubans made in Havana by American filmmakers from the Sundance Channel. His first album, Mundo Real (2000), was pre-nominated for that year’s Latin Grammy Awards. In 2005, he won five awards at Cubadisco and a Lucas Award for Best Music Video. He has toured numerous countries, including Mexico, Venezuela, the United States, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, and Denmark. X Alfonso’s work as a composer is closely linked to the most avant-garde trends in contemporary music produced in Cuba.

Ilmar López-Gavilán Junco is an exceptional Cuban violinist who, at just twelve years old, performed as a soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra. His orchestral debut was in Spain with the Camerata Brindis de Salas. This musician has performed recitals and concerts with various orchestras in several countries.

He has won the Grand Prize in the Amadeo Roldán Competition on several occasions and has been invited to give master classes at the Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA) (1110 Calle 120 between 9th and 13th, Cubanacán, Playa, Havana). He earned his doctorate from the Julilliard School of Music and is a member of the Thallis Quartet. He has been deservedly regarded by specialized critics as an essential figure among the younger generations of Cuban violinists.

Jorge Luis Garcell Santana, Cuban guitarist, who at the age of 13 earned his earliest accolade, winning First Prize and Special Prize for his interpretation of Cuban music at the Amadeo Roldán Competition for Music Students in 1984; a title he would later repeat in 1988 and 1990. He was a member of the Havana Guitar Ensemble, with which he recorded two albums of contemporary Cuban music. As a guitar soloist, he has performed in Cuba’s major concert halls, as well as on National Radio and Television.

He has been a professor at the National School of Music, head of the Strings Department at the Guillermo Tomás Conservatory (San Juan Bosco No. 57, Guanabacoa, Havana), and head of the Guitar Department at the Manuel Saumell School (Calle F No. 660, Vedado, Plaza de la Revolución, Havana). He is a member of the Musicians Association of the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC) and belongs to the National Center for Concert Music.

Niurka González Núñez, a renowned Cuban flutist and clarinetist, won the Grand Prize in the “Amadeo Roldán” competition in 1991, a feat she repeated in 1994, as well as a Mention for Best Performance of Cuban Music.

In 1997, she won First Prize at the Paris Conservatoire de Musique (CNR). In 1999, she received the Gold Diploma in Music, specializing in flute, from the Instituto Superior de Arte de Cuba (ISA). She is a member of the Ondina Duo with María del Henar. She has contributed to concerts and recordings with leading figures of Cuban music.

Amhed Mitchel, a prominent Cuban percussionist, began playing and recording with numerous groups and soloists, interpreting a wide variety of musical genres. Among them are César López, Elmer Ferrer, Pablo FG, Aldo López Gavilán, Roberto Carcassés, Yusa, and José Miguel Greco.

He is currently developing his artistic career in Toronto, Canada. There he shares the stage with musicians such as Hilario Durán, Jane Bunnett, Jeff King, Andrew Stewart, Cates Demo, Phil Dwyer, Roberto Occipinti, among many others.

Aldo López-Gavilán Junco is a young pianist and composer who won his first prize in the Netherlands at the age of eleven, winning the Danny Kay Children’s Competition, sponsored by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). In 1998, he won First Prize in the Trinity College of Music Piano Competition in England. In England, he performed at London’s Royal Festival Hall as part of the Solidarity with Cuba campaign held there. He also opened the Millennium Concerts at the Casa de las Américas (3rd and G Streets, Vedado, Plaza de la Revolución, Havana), with works of his own creation.

His playing style is within jazz and fusion, and his artistic endorsement attests to his quality as a concert pianist. In a brief definition of music, Aldo López-Gavilán stated: “It’s everything; it’s the connecting thread through which my greatest loves, my homeland, my family, my friends… I wouldn’t know how to live without it.”

Felipe Cabrera is a Cuban bassist whose debut album, Made in Animas, was conceived under the Unicornio label and released in 1999. The album features fourteen tracks, only two of which are not written by Felipe Cabrera; these are “Avenida a New York” by Yosvany Terry and Roberto Carcassés, and a cover of the standard “Autumn leaves.”