Antonio Ávila Baca

Antonio Ávila holds a degree in Philosophy and History. He graduated with a degree in Marxism, Leninism and History from the "Juan Marinello" Higher Pedagogical Institute in Matanzas.

He made his first professional attempts in music with a quartet named Clave Cuarta (1996). With a distinctive way of making music, he is considered today a rising figure in the Cuban music scene.

In 1998 he founded and directed the quintet: "Agua Tibia", with which he was accepted at the Professional Music Center of Matanzas "Rafael Somavilla". This group achieved the category of Artistic Excellence granted by the Cuban Institute of Music; this institution endorses him as a vocalist percussionist and solo vocalist.

In 2002 he founded and directed the quintet: "Con Clave" within the same company, and with this group he participated in the III Cuban Cultural Festival in London in the months of October and November of 2004.

Currently he directs the group that bears his name, who accompany him on all stages.

He performed before more than 25 thousand people at a concert headed by Franco-Spanish singer-songwriter Manu Chao held on the steps of the University of Havana.

His music, in addition to Cuba, has been performed by the artist in England, Venezuela, Peru and Brazil. In July 2010 he participated in the third international encuentro of the singer-songwriter, held in Quito Ecuador.

His work, ranging from song to guaracha, traveling through various genres, through which he approaches different social themes of Cuba and the world, is being strongly promoted in Cuban media outlets.

His music has recently allowed him to venture into Theater, Film (4 songs in the movie "Irremediably Together") and in the Cuban telenovela Santa María del Porvenir, whose closing and opening themes are by the author.

His work is included in his discography with the albums A primera vista, Tiene que haber de to', Credenciales, En Tierra and Timbiriche.

It was the guaracha-song about Chicha and Chacho, or vice versa, included in his album ...En Tierra (2011), that launched him to popularity at the national and international level. This was reinforced by the album Timbiriche (2013), for which Jhonny Ventura and Gilberto Santa Rosa already sing his songs, to mention only a few. In 2016 he was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Tropical Song category for the song «La bala», a piece that belongs to the album "Tronco viejo", from the Egrem label.

He was part of the delegation that represented Cuba at the 17th Grammy Latino Awards ceremony in Las Vegas, United States.

«I didn't expect it, I already feel rewarded, it's an immense privilege», commented the artist, nominated as author for four other numbers included in Ventura's album and produced with the musical production of Edesio Alejandro. He was competing in the Best Salsa Album category.
Tony and his musicians were received at the municipal town hall by the mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico. On the main stage of the traditional San Sebastián Street Festivals, Tony Ávila sang for more than an hour several of his hits, such as «Tiene que haber de tó», «Nada más triste», «Todas las mujeres dicen», «Científicamente negro» and «Las nubes». The San Sebastián Street Festivals is the celebration that marks the end of the Christmas season. It is a kind of carnival where more than eight hundred thousand people converge over four days of festivities, with stages in the main plazas of old San Juan.
After ten at night, Tony was invited by Puerto Rican star Gilberto Santa Rosa to share with him at the Fifth Centenary Plaza, before more than fifty thousand people who along with them sang and danced the hit «Títere», which the salsa performer included in his most recent production: Necesito un bolero, the title of another song by the Cuban troubadour.

To Cubadisco 2017 Tony Ávila brought two recordings, one is dedicated to the work of the legendary Faustino Oramas, El Guayabero, perhaps one of the greatest tributes ever made by a singer-songwriter to this almost mythical figure for Cuban troubadours.

The second another CD Que se haga la luz, in which he shows the lineage of heir to Sindo and Matamoros, of Faustino and Ñico, and of course to Silvio and Pablo, but with a proven light of his own, and an evident commitment to his time.
Tony Ávila's musical work is summarized with an already classic phrase of our time: The light, brother, the light.