Alfredo Levy Nadal

Born at Central Chaparra, Puerto Padre, former province of Oriente. Composer of religious music, pianist, choir director and pedagogue.

He began his music studies at the Conservatorio Hubert de Blanck under the direction of Arcadio Menocal, where he graduated in 1932, with José Molina Torres in solfège and music theory, and with Consuelo Quesada and Arcadio Menocal in piano; with Virginia Fleites in harmony, and advanced courses in piano, repertoire and music history, with Joaquín Nin Castellanos.

Author of four masses: to the Virgin of Charity of El Cobre; to the Virgin of Mercy; to the Virgin of Carmen and to Saint Martin of Porres.

He performed on his instrument, as a soloist and as an accompanist, numerous works in their first performance in Cuba and conducted the premiere of the Passion according to Saint Mark, by Perosi. He worked as a piano teacher, piano pedagogy and music history.

Founder (1947) and director of the conservatory bearing his name. In 1983 he was honored on the occasion of his fifty years of artistic life, which took place at the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes.

On January 1, 1933, he offered his first recital in Sala Espadero, with works by:
Franz Schubert
Domenico Scarlatti
Federico Chopin
Gaspar Cassadó
Moritz Moszkovski

On March 22, 1936 he premiered in Cuba, at the "Martí" theater, with the accompaniment of the Orquesta Sinfónica de La Habana under the direction of Gonzalo Roig, Concerto No. 1 for piano and orchestra, by Edward MacDowell.

From 1942 to 1947, he worked as a piano teacher, piano pedagogy and music history at the Conservatorio Hubert de Blanck.

He acted as accompanist pianist for soprano Carmelina Santana Reyes in a cycle of lieder of "The Beautiful Miller's Daughter", by Franz Schubert, for pianist Carlos Agostini, at the Lyceum Lawn and Tennis Club, and for bass singer Fernando Labrada in the Cuban premiere of the "lieder Love Songs of a Poet", by Franz Schumann.

In 1968 he accompanied at the Palacio de Bellas Artes soprano Iris Burguet in the cycle "Love and Life of a Woman", by Robert Schumann.

In 1946 he joined as choir teacher at the Escuela Valdés Rodríguez, which together with the choir of the Romualdo de la Cuesta school, carried out a tour through La Habana, Matanzas and Santiago de Cuba

In 1968 he accompanied at the Palacio de Bellas Artes soprano Iris Burguet in the cycle "Love and Life of a Woman", by Robert Schumann with which he carried out a tour through Romania and the former Soviet Union, USSR.

In 1947 he founded the Conservatorio Levy, which operated until 1962; that same year, he founded the Coral Alfredo Levy, which performed in the church of La Merced, with works by:

Tomás Luis de Victoria
Luigi da Palestrina
Johann Sebastian Bach
Giovanetti
Gabriel Fauré
Rafael Morales

With this Choir, he premiered, at La Merced, the Mass in C major by composer from Santiago Cratilio Guerra. Also in 1962, he was appointed professor and choir director of the José Martí, Camilo Cienfuegos, Ciro Frías and Orestes Gutiérrez schools.

From 1970 to 1971, he directed the choir that performed in works by playwrights Patrick Dennis, Héctor Quintero and José Cabral.

Works
White sin
Cloud of reverie
Pride, songs

Alfredo Levy died in La Habana, September 20, 1999.