América García

In the late 1930s, this mezzo-soprano and actress was born in Matanzas and became the founder of the Teatro Lírico Nacional de Cuba.

She began her artistic training in the 1950s and completed it with a degree from the Instituto Superior de Arte (Bachelor's in Performing Arts) around 1982.

She started her artistic career in 1957 as a member of various choral groups. She was part of the choruses during the opera season (1961) and in the early productions of the Teatro Lírico Nacional, where she developed a successful career interpreting the most diverse roles in multiple opera titles—The Barber of Seville (Berta)—and zarzuelas and operettas: Luisa Fernanda (Maid and Rosita), La revoltosa (Mari Pepa and Gorgonia), La verbena de la Paloma (Señá Rita), La leyenda del beso (Charito and Simeona), Cecilia Valdés (Nemesia and Dolores).

In 1976 she performs for the first time in the latter title the role of Doña Rosa Sandoval, which she would later reprise, directed by Juan Blanco (1978), Juan R. Amán (1984), Humberto Lara (1987) and Humberto Arenal (1993) and would perform in Mexico, Nicaragua and Colombia.

She participates in the world premieres of the definitive version of Amalia Batista (Goya, 1979) and La malquerida (1992). She also directed some stage productions and performed as a guest artist in other national companies—Grupo Jorge Anckermann (El amor nació en la plaza, by Valcárcel, world premiere, 1967) and Teatro Estudio (Tonadillas, 1970 and Sainetes andaluces, 1971).

At present she resides in Miami, Florida, a city in which she has reaped tremendous successes both as a singer and as a character actress.